A Summer to Remember
by Once Lived
Summary: Carol, Daryl, Michonne, Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Tara, Lori, Shane, & Kelly (OC) are forced by their parents to spend their summer at camp. The ten of them are unwillingly put into the same activity group on the first day. The teenagers are complete strangers. See their relationships form. Who will be best friends? Who will be more than friends? And who will ruin it all?
1. Prologue: Off to Camp

**_Welcome! I am excited to bring you all this summer camp AU fic. This prologue just tells you who will be in the main group and how they ended up in summer camp, next chapter is where the actual story begins. ;)_**

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 **Prologue: Off to Camp**

Carol Owen came home from her last day of school in her freshmen year. When she opened the door, her parents were seated on the couch and had their gaze on a three panel brochure. Carol stood by the door as she slowly closed it. She stood dumbfounded once the sound of the door closing shut still hadn't caught either of her parents attention.

The young fourteen year old girl looked around her living room feeling completely invisible. "Um, I'm home." She waved both of her hands in the air.

"Oh, that's nice honey." Her mother simply stated and didn't even look up at her only child.

"What are you guys looking at?" Carol asked tilting her head, her small auburn curls that were in a high ponytail, swung to the side of her face. She slowly walked closer to them when her father looked up at her.

"Carol, why didn't you show this to us earlier?" Her father voiced, lifting up the brochure to show her.

Carol's eyes widened with confusion and disbelief. "No, no, I had that put away in my room! The only way you could have gotten that was if you went through my things!" She reached out and snatched it from her father's hands. Her school was always passing out stupid fliers and she wished she never picked that one up. Knowing her parents, they would want her to go. After finishing her first year of high school with a 4.0, she wanted the summer to relax and spend time with her friends.

"Carol, it'll be fun. You'll get to meet new people, new friends." Her mother said enthusiastically.

Carol huffed and puffed. She wasn't one to fight with her parents and deep down inside she kind of thought it could be fun. But she was definitely not going to show it - not to her parents, not to the people at the camp, and not even to herself.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Daryl Dixon woke up late on his last day of high school. Hell, he didn't even want to go and he wasn't going to. He rolled out of bed and got dressed in the same old type of clothes he dressed in everyday - his fashion consisted of dark colors. He quickly slipped on a tan button down (probably the lightest color he'd ever wore) paired with his favorite black jeans. With a quick brush of his blond hair - that had been getting darker year by year - he was ready for his day.

"First day of summer for me, last day ah school for those losers." Daryl joked when he walked out of the trailer house that he lived in with his older brother, Merle, and threw his jacket on.

Daryl went to the local liquor store and stole some candy and a can of Budweiser. After sticking the candy in the front of his pants and hiding the beer in his puffy letterman jacket (that he also stole) he went on his merry way down the road. He slipped into a small opening of a fence and into a vacant lot. He had been going to this lot for the past week and stayed there for six hours until school was out.

When Daryl pushed open the door of the old abandoned store, he was caught off guard when he found someone else inside. "What the hell?" He spat out as his reaction.

In front of him stood a tall woman in a dark blue uniform. The belt wrapped around her consisted of lethal weapons and the one she held in her hands aimed towards Daryl's face was the most lethal weapon of all.

"Daryl Dixon, you are arrested under the court of law." The woman kept the gun pointed at him as she made her way to the confused teenager and put handcuffs on him.

She stuck the boy in her car and drove him to the police station. When they arrived she told his parent guardian to come down to the station to discuss the future of the young boy.

"Mr. Dixon, summer is here and Daryl skipped the last day of school, and got caught doing illegal things. This is just the first day. Imagine what trouble he could find himself into in a week from now… He's going down the wrong path and fast."

"What are you sayin' sugar buns?" The man's grin grew viciously.

The woman disregarded the man's inappropriate comment and continued, "We have a program for him, with kids his age, just something to keep him busy and out of trouble, safe."

"Listen lady, I can handle my own baby brother, okay!" The angry man assured, having enough of the woman's nonsense. He got up off his seat and turned to leave but before he could take one step the woman spoke up.

"Mr. Dixon, you realize if you turn this offer down we will be forced to arrest Daryl for possession of stolen items and possession of alcohol. He is just a minor and jail isn't where he belongs. He could have such a better, brighter life."

"It's Merle. My ol' pops was Mr. Dixon." Merle growled and sat back in the chair facing the woman.

"Merle, you do want your younger brother to have a brighter life, correct?"

"Yeah. What the hell is it anyways, teenager's anonymous?" Merle smirked.

"Merle, this is serious, and no nothing like that. It's actually a summer camp."

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Michonne Lewis was a girl who had been home-schooled for all of her life. She didn't have much friends and she liked it that way. Being alone was what she knew and now that her parents were planning a family trip, she'd rather not have any part of it. The perfect summer for her consisted of the curtains closed blocking any possible sunlight from coming in and shoving books into her face.

After finishing her final math test, she hugged her teacher who had come to her house everyday for four hours and gave her lessons. "Ms. Shepherd, you are the best ninth grade teacher a girl can ask for!" Michonne stated with a smile, releasing Ms. Shepherd from the hug.

"Oh, it was definitely a pleasure teaching you!" The woman said her goodbye's and exited the house.

Michonne stared out the window till the sight of her teacher was no longer in her peripheral vision. She did the moonwalk away from the window and broke into a full on dance of excitement.

"Michonne?" Her mother's voice completely stopped any more dance moves from making it's appearance. "I'd hate to rain on your parade, honey, but it's time that you should start packing."

"What? Mom, no, you said I could stay here, that you were only leaving for one week!" Michonne walked closer to her mother, moving the dreadlocks out of her face and behind her shoulder.

"Sweetie, me and your father decided that we should stay for two weeks and we don't want to leave you here alone for that long." Her mother's smooth voice resonated in Michonne's ears but Michonne knew the soft tone was just to keep her calm.

Michonne sighed, trying not to lose her mind. "Mom, please, I don't want to go to the Bahamas with you and dad. You guys deserve your alone time." She calmly argued.

"We do deserve our own time and that is why you aren't coming with us." Her mother jokingly put. Michonne's confusion of silence let her mother go into further detail. "Michonne, we found this great place for you. It's a summer camp and I think you'll like it!"

"Summer camp? Your sending me away! I'd rather go with you and dad!" Michonne testified.

"Now, Michonne, it's already decided. Go pack your things; I don't wanna hear another word."

Michonne made her way upstairs with the words of 'summer camp' still echoing in her head.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Rick Grimes walked home from school with his best friend Shane Walsh after a short last day of school. The two had their summer planned out: play video games and, maybe, hang out with some girls. Making their way up to Rick's front door, the two heard the sound of laughter. "Your parents are here?" Rick turned back to his friend who shrugged his shoulders. Then they heard some more talking followed by laughter again.

"Wait!" The taller one out of the two pulled his friend's hand away from the door handle. "Let's listen to what they have to say."

The boys stayed close to the door pressing their ears up against the wood surface. The voices were muffled over the wooden barrier.

"So the boys will be going then?" The woman's voice could have been easily mistaken for either of the boys' mother.

"Yes, I think it will be a fun experience for them. See new faces, meet new people. Lord knows in this tiny town you know everyone by name." Now that woman's voice sounded the same as the other's but the way she complained about the size of the town sounded like Shane's mother.

Both boys shared confused glances with each other as to what their parents were even discussing.

"Yeah, I'd hate to be in the same room when you ladies tell them about their new arrangements." Shane's father spoke as Rick could hear his dad laugh along.

"They were boy scouts, they love camping and the outdoors, and this summer camp provides just that." Rick's mother explained.

The color had drained from both boys' face as they looked up at each other and simultaneously said, "Summer Camp?!"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Maggie Greene held her little sister, Beth Greene's hand as they ran in the front gate all the way down a long path to her family's farm house. Summer was her absolute favorite but this time she had it planned. She would spend her time working with the farm animals. She hoped her dad would let her get to ride one of the horses all by herself. But before her summer got started she had to rush home and get ready for her eighth grade graduation.

"Maggie, Bethie you're finally here!" The girls' mother rushed to them and hugged them. "Now, darling, your dress is up in your room but before you get it your father has some exciting news for you girls." Beth jumped up in excitement, the six year old girl hadn't even found out what it was yet but just expecting something was good enough for her.

The girls' father came in with a smile. "How was the last day of school?" The man with short blonde hair and a short beard growing asked as he knelt down so he could be eye-level with his youngest daughter.

"Good, daddy." Both girls said with a smile.

"Daddy, what's the surprise?!" Little Beth asked, throwing her arms in the air.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Maggie, remember that one summer camp you wanted to go to last summer but we didn't send you?"

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked walking a little closer to her dad.

"Well, I signed you and Beth up for it this year!" Hershel said with excitement.

Maggie's face dropped as she forced a fake smile, "Oooh, wow daddy, you shouldn't have." The one year she didn't beg her dad to take her on a trip was the year he sends her to a summer camp.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Glenn Rhee was the youngest out of four and the only boy. He really enjoyed school, it was the only time he could get away from his three crazy older sisters, but this summer he wanted to make a big change. Next year he would be going to the big 'HS', High School. So, he made a workout plan that consisted of pull-ups, push-ups, squats - all to get a girl and be the new buff freshmen.

After his big celebration for graduating to the next grade, his family finally left. Glenn jumped on his bed and shut his eyes. Less than a moment later all of his sisters came barging in. "Hey, what's the big idea here?!" Glenn sat up.

"Mom's sending you away!" One of his sisters said in a teasing voice.

"What?" Glenn asked confused.

"Yeah, she's sending you away, probably to the military." Another said in a sour tone.

Glenn's eyes widened, "Mom!" The worried boy shouted.

The children's mother came rushing in, "What, what is it Glenn?"

Glenn shook his head, "You're sending me to boot camp?! I am not physically prepared for that!"

He noticed the snag remarks from his sisters but focused his attention on his mother. "No, my love, you're going to a summer camp. I was planning on telling you tomorrow, but I see three impatient girls beat me to it." The women looked back to the girls who innocently smiled back.

"Summer Camp? Thank's... but I'd rather stay here." Glenn simply replied.

"No, no your dad and I already set it up. You're going, and besides, Glenn, you don't want to be stuck in a house with your sisters all summer, do you?"

Glenn shook his head, disappointed at the change of events. He'd rather be stuck in a wormhole with his three sister than go to a summer camp. "But summer camp? Really?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Tara Chambler was a very confused eighth grader. She didn't want anything to do with the color pink, and when it came to picking her graduation outfit she went with a black silk pants suit. She fixed her short black hair with her hands, marched on the stage, and gladly took the diploma from her now ex-principal.

After the graduation ceremony, she walked out of her school to look for her family in the big crowd of people waiting for their graduate. Her eyes landed on her family. She saw her mother talking to her first period teacher, Ms. Lerner. The woman had blue eyes that looked as cold as ice. Tara swore that woman had it out for her.

"Hey, mom, and everyone!" Tara said looking to her family when her older sister came over to hug her.

"Aww that's the sweetest." Ms. Lerner cooed then turned her gaze over to Tara's mother. "So, I'll go ahead and save that spot for her. Tara has been telling me about it since January!" The woman gave Tara an evil smile and went on her way.

Without thinking Tara asked, "What was that witch saying?"

"Tara! Please, you keep running your mouth and I'll cancel your trip."

"Trip, what trip?" The girl hurriedly asked.

"Ms. Lerner helped me sign you up for, you'll never guess… Summer camp!" Her mother squealed.

"What!" Tara's eyes grew wide in disbelief. She knew that *insert bad word here* had something up her sleeve to ruin the young girl's life but the girl didn't think she would take it to that extreme.

"She told me you really wanted to go, and I think you deserve it, Tara!" Her mother placed her hand on Tara's shoulder as Lily, Tara's older sister, shook her head feeling sorry for her.

"I cant believe it!" Tara sounded as if she were happy, trying to not disappoint her mother. She never had been camping in her life and she sure didn't plan on it. In her mind all she thought about was how she would trash Ms. Lerner's classroom before the first day of school next year, and be able to make it on time to her first day of high school. She clenched her jaw together, "So, Summer camp... huh?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Lori Hill was a freshman cheerleader. She was the only child of two wealthy entrepreneurs and she had gotten everything she wanted. She walked home on her last day of school with some guy who had a major crush on her. Like the days before, she payed no attention to him, or his drooling, and made her way up to the steps to the front door of her two story house.

"Thanks for walking me home, Eugene… Maybe I'll see you next year." She rushed into her house before the boy with the ridiculous mullet could wipe the drool from his face and speak.

She made her way to her father's office. "Daddy, I'm home!"

"Oh good, hello princess."

Lori pushed open the door that was half cracked to her father's office. "Oh, hey mom, I didn't know you were here."

"That's alright cupcake. How was the last day of school?"

"Good, what were ya'll talking about?"

"Do we tell her now?" Her father looked up from his paperwork to look at his wife.

Her mother nodded and decided to share the news, "Pumpkin, we looked into this really great summer camp that has a really good program. It's very modern and it's up in the mountains with a beautiful view." Her mother trailed off.

"Okay, are you guys buying it or something?" Lori asked missing the point.

"No sweetie. We want to send you there for the summer!" Her mother finished with a smile.

Lori frowned. "What? Summer camp? Daddy, please, tell me she is joking!"

Lori's father raised an eyebrow, "No, I'm afraid your mother speaks the truth." He saw the lost look in his daughter gaze.

"But, but… I, I don't know how to camp! Do you guys hate me or something? Whatever I did to deserve this, I am truly sorry! Please, forgive me!"

"You didn't do anything wrong; it's just that we think it would be nice for you to have a different experience." Her father explained.

Lori was still at a loss for words, "Ugh, but it's summer camp!"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Kelly Moore-Bolden was the only adopted child to two loving fathers. She couldn't tell you how the last day of her freshmen year was because she didn't go to it. Both her fathers traveled from place to place on business trips and she was dragged along with them. She was really happy when summer arrived because now she didn't have the anxiety of missing school and having to make up all the late work.

Her shoulder length, blonde wavy hair blew in the wind as both of her fathers came out of a tall building.

"Did you recruit anybody?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, thankfully. We might just have a business in no time!" Her dad, that was shorter than the other one, spoke.

"Well, lets just hope, Eric." The taller one now spoke. He put his gaze back on his daughter, "So, kid, want do you want to eat?"

"Mm, not hungry." She stubbornly said.

"Hey, what's on your mind, sugar plum?" Eric asked taking a quick glance at his other half for assistance.

"Nothing, dad. It's just… I found something." Kelly reached into her back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, showing the men standing in front of her.

"We were going to tell you. Kelly it's the best place for you, right Aaron? Tell her." Eric nudged his partner.

"Kelly, your father and I will be moving around a lot this summer, and we just want you to have a stable place. Maybe you can make friends there." Aaron shrugged hoping his only daughter wouldn't argue.

"Make friends!? Dad, I have been spending my whole life trying to not get close to anyone I met at school because we never stay in one spot for more than two months." She argued.

"I hate to have to put my foot down but it's down. We are driving you there tomorrow. At the end of this, when you come back, you might just thank us." Aaron spoke.

"Yeah, or I could really, really hate you." Kelly only smirked when Aaron gave her a strict look.

"Honey, we just don't want yo-" Before Aaron could finish, Kelly broke his train of thought.

"I get it, you just don't want me in your way." The girl sighed, hoping her words would guilt her fathers into letting her stay with them for the summer.

"Never think that!" Eric stated, appalled at his daughter's comment, quickly pulling Kelly into a hug. "We would love to take you but we want you to grow and be open to people. Have friends." He assured.

Kelly rolled her eyes when she knew they weren't looking. She knew her dads were right and she hated that fact. She needed to see a familiar face other than both of her dads'. "Let it be known now, I have yet to go, but summer camp isn't my thing."

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 ** _Hope you enjoyed!_ _Next chapter they all meet and the story takes off from there! It will be filled with funny, cute, sweet, bitter sweet and embarrassing moments so stay tuned! A lot more characters will be introduced throughout the story as well. (I would also like to mention their will be more pairings other than Richonne and Caryl.)_**

 ** _Hope you continue reading!_**

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	2. Chapter 1: It Begins With Hello

**Chapter One: It Begins With Hello**

The day was long for the young travelers. After a long car ride to their destination and waiting in a line of cars to be dropped off by their families, the children all gathered in front of a golden gate. There were over two-hundred and fifty kids who were attending the summer camp this year - which was more than the year before.

After the big double gates opened the children piled into the 'Main ground.' The main ground was a big area in front of the gate. A big water fountain was placed in the center with two statue figures in the middle of it; a boy and girl holding hands. Around the fountain was a big wide area which had plenty of room for all the campers that attended. The area was surrounded humongous redwood trees.

Off to the side were two clear dirt paths. One lead to the camp counselors offices and the girls and boys cabins to the sizable cafeteria just beyond that. The other path lead to a very big agility course near a big pond where they would go kayaking, do other water games, and all kinds of adventurous activities.

"Alright Campers let's get settled down!" A man with a black eye patch, who held a mega-phone to his mouth, announced and had the nicest smile plastered on his face. Once the children got settled the man started again, "My name is Philip Blake, I go by Mr. Phil or Mr. Blake. I am the camp director along with Ms. Monroe. Would you like to introduce yourself, Ms. Monroe?"

The one-eyed man handed the mega phone off to the woman who stood next to him. She was short, had blonde hair to her shoulders, and looked comfortably at the crowd with her deep blue eyes. The two stood on the little raised patio, "Thank you Mr. Blake. I am Deanna Monroe, you can call me Ms. Deanna or Ms. Monroe of course. I am also the camp director."

"We hope you enjoy the camp for it will be home to you all for the next six weeks. So get comfortable! It's gonna be awhile!" Mr. Phil said with a sound of warning in his voice.

"Alright boys and girls, _we_ have split you all up in age groups to make it easier so you will all get into big groups of ten. The groups must contain boys and girls so please do so and yes Mr. Phil and I will be checking if you have followed our directions. Now Mr. Phil will you like to name the age groups?"

"Ah, yes the age groups are: Kindergarten to first grade, second to third, fourth to fifth, sixth to seventh, eighth to nine, and finally tenth to eleventh. Eleventh graders you are the oldest so lead by example." The man chuckled hearing a groan from the oldest of the campers.

"Alright thank you for giving us your undivided attention. Now, get into groups!" Once the words were out, the kids scrambled around to find a group; jumping over others or running full speed dragging their luggage close behind. "We will be coming around to help if you need some guidance!" Ms. Monroe warned stepping off the little stage and dared to walk in the hectic crowd.

Deanna was walking around when a sight she had never seen before caught her attention. A few kids were just leaning up against a wall doing nothing but standing there. They weren't even making eye contact with anybody.

"Are you children a group?" She called out once she got closer.

They all shrugged then she raised an eyebrow, "What's your age groups?"

Once a mixture of 'eighth' and 'ninth' came from children's mouths the woman nodded, "Well congratulations, this is your new activity group!" Disregarding the eye rolls she received along with moans of disappointment she called to her co-camp director. "Mr. Blake, look at these kids, don't they look so overjoyed!" Deanna said sarcastically.

"You're gonna be here awhile so how 'bout you suck it up or fake it till you make it." Phil said with a stern tone, eyeing a particular girl with dreadlocks, more than the others.

"All do respect sir." A girl with brown hair that hadn't reached her shoulders yet started in, "I wasn't suppose to be here."

A blonde haired girl smirked, "Same here."

"Okay. That's enough! You are all here now, so lets just move on. This is your activity group and because of your disappointing attitudes, the girls in this group will share the same cabin, same goes for you boys." Deanna's stern voice took the kids back a bit.

"I couldn't agree more!" Mr. Blake flashed an adoring smile in Ms. Monroe's direction. "I think it's time to get to know your group members… get talking and we will be back to check up on you all." The two directors walked away as the group of kids unwillingly formed into a circle.

"I never knew I could hate two people so fast ... until now." The girl with the darkest skin murmured. " Hello, I'm Michonne, by the way." She reluctantly added.

The group looked at her with a slight nod.

"Well hey! Might as well make the best of this right? I think we should go around in a circle and introduce ourselves." Once again the group was unresponsive, the blue-eyed girl started in again, "Okay, guess I'll pick it up from where Michonne left it… I'm Kelly Moore-Bolden."

One thin girl, wearing a pink sweat-pants with a matching sweatshirt, quirked up an eyebrow, "Two last names?"

"If you must know, I'm adopted… so yeah, two last names."

Daryl grunted keeping his mean thoughts to himself, "Daryl Dixon. I'm here because if I wasn't, I'd be in jail right 'bout now."

Shocked faces flashed through each of the teenagers' faces except one and Daryl didn't let that go unnoticed.

The girl who stood next to Daryl hadn't looked shocked or disgusted, all she had done was raised an eyebrow. Daryl couldn't help but keep his eyes on her as she introduced herself, "I'm Carol Owen, here because I was forced, and no I don't have a cool excuse that my other option was juvie." Carol took an innocent glance at Daryl, flashing a sincere smile, her joke wasn't to put him down but show him she wasn't afraid like the others might have been.

The next person up was the perky, thin girl who wasn't afraid to criticize her group members. "Lori, I'm here because my parents are thinking of buying this place and they put me in it to see if it was a good enough program… nothing has impressed me yet." She sounded snobbish and disappointed, causing the girl next to her to let out a laugh.

"The names Tara and maybe if you're lucky enough you'll get to learn my last name. I arrived here from my kingdom in Oz - to get there all you need to do is follow a yellow brick road." The short haired girl joked, trying to match up her tone with the snobbishness the other girl, Lori, had carried in her tone.

Lori's eyes widened and she opened her mouth a few times, as if she was going to say a insult back but nothing good came to mind.

"I'm Maggie Greene. I hope to get to know ya'll a little more as the weeks progress." She gave a sincere smile and received some back too. She wasn't excited to be in the group that was chosen for her but someone had to seem a bit interested so she adopted that role.

"I'm Glenn. I don't have filthy rich parents or a kingdom… I'm lucky enough to even have my own room but not lucky enough to not be standing here." He muttered the last part earning a smirk from that guy, Daryl.

Everyone including Glenn was shocked that he had gotten Daryl to laugh.

"I'm Rick. I come from Georgia, nothin' much there." His voice was smooth and carried a soft southern accent. He kept his greeting short so that no one could criticize him. Lori gave him a flirty smile when he glanced at her and when he glanced at the girl who introduced herself as Michonne, her smile went away and she shot her head to the ground quickly with some of her dreadlocks falling in front of her face. He stared at her a moment longer. She was a bit mysterious to him and, naturally, he wanted to find more out about her.

"Shane Walsh." Was all the boy said, receiving some nods.

"That's original." Daryl grunted.

Shane tilted his head, "Got somethin' to say?" Shane took a step into the circle the group created with their bodies, puffing up his chest to make him look buffer.

Daryl took his hands out of his black jacket pockets and stood up straighter, causing him to grow and inch or two of height. "Already said it." He sneered.

Kelly raised an eyebrow, things were heating up and she had front row seats. Both of her dads once told her 'Having drama with somebody is stupid, but if you know people who have drama, it isn't stupid to watch.' And that is just was she was going to do, watch.

"What? You think you tough, with your mean stares." Shane started in again, causing Daryl to take two quick steps toward the other guy.

"Shane..." Rick calmly called out for his friend.

"Walking around here like you own the joint!"

" _Shane..._ " Rick again.

"You ain't nothin'."

"Shane" Rick and now Tara started in.

"You done now?" Daryl spoke up walking up close to Shane curling his hands into a fist, the whole group hearing the crack of his knuckles once they were shut closed.

"I'm done when I say I'm done." Shane looked slightly up at the boy towering him, yet surprisingly didn't seem fazed at the other boys height.

" _Shane_!" The two sounded off again.

"You better listen to your friends and stop talking out your-" Daryl started but before he could finish he felt a hand on his chest pushing him back.

"Kay! That's enough! You two are going to get us all in trouble!"

It was the girl with short auburn hair, Carol. She stood in between the two boys and their attention focused on her now.

She was surprised her thin legs didn't give out, out of fear, and she couldn't believe that she had the strength to pull the boys apart. She was incredibly terrified, but she couldn't show it, not now at least, knowing everyone had their eyes on her.

Daryl looked at her with a blank face. Inside he was impressed at her boldness. Girls at his school would usually run to get help from an adult if they saw him picking a fight with someone but not Carol. She stood in front of him, hand hovering over his chest to stop him from going any further. Daryl never had girls on his thoughts, but right now, Carol took over his mind.

"We need to face the fact that we are stuck with each other for the next few weeks, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing, like Mr. Blake said… suck it up." She looked in between both guys before putting her arms down to rest at her sides.

Daryl flashed a dangerous glance at Shane. "Fine." He muttered. He walked back to his spot in the circle with Carol following behind to get to her spot beside him. He chewed on his lip and debated on whether or not he should take a glance at Carol but it was already too late once he found his blue eyes looking into hers. He looked away fast once he realized what he was doing, feeling the heat move from the back of his neck to his cheeks.

"Well, not that this wasn't eventful," Kelly put her hands together and rubbed them, "but I think it's time to really get to know each other, and no mocking." She stole a glance at half of her group.

Lori nodded her head, "Okay, fine by me."

Carol took a deep breath in. She hated the first day of school cause you had to tell people about yourself and camp was the same way. Carol thought back to what Kelly had said about herself about being adopted. Carol only had known one couple, her parents' friends, who had an adopted daughter. "So you're adopted? I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are your parents' names?"

Kelly smile, she already missed her dads. "Oh, Eric and _Aaron_."

Carol nodded as the group payed close attention to the conversation, " _Erin_ , cool. I have only meet one girl named Erin before."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, "Really? I have never met a girl named _Erin_." Kelly kept her laugh in seeing the confusion Carol must have had on the name 'Aaron'.

"Your mom's name is Erin is it not?" Carol definitely didn't catch on, and neither had the rest of the group.

"No, no… I'm adopted... by two men."

A smile tugged on Tara's face, "Your parents are gay." She bluntly put out to the group, earning some 'ohs' and understanding head nods.

"Yes." Kelly laughed at her younger group member's curiosity. "Enough about me though," Kelly looked over to Michonne, "What about you… what's you story?"

Michonne had her head up, looking around her group, trying to avoid eye contact with a particular blue-eyed southern boy, which from her peripheral vision she could tell his eyes were on her like a hawk. She shrugged. "Not much to tell. Was home schooled all my life, till one day my parents got this bright idea, and now… I'm standing right here."

Rick smiled at that, hoping Michonne would see, but it definitely didn't go unnoticed by Lori.

"Rick, let's hear about you! Where do you go to school?" Lori broke the stare Rick had fixated on Michonne.

"Right, Um. I go to my small town's high school, with Shane actually. So, yeah." He rubbed one of his hands on the back of his neck.

"Oh wow, you two must be the best of friends." Lori cooed.

Rick just nodded sneaking a glance at Michonne. She had quietly started a conversation with Kelly.

The group was quiet and Glenn drooled over the pretty short-haired girl, who introduced herself as Maggie. He thought she was extremely pretty and he wanted to get to know her from an instant but there was a problem. He didn't know how to approach a girl he liked, even though he only had sisters. The last thing he wanted to do was go to his sisters for relationship advice because he would never hear the end of their teasing.

Maggie felt a bit weird seeing the unbreakable stare from the boy next to her. She could swear he was drooling but she kept her eyes on the lips of Michonne and Kelly. They were talking very quietly so she thought maybe she could read their lips, but it wasn't going so well with Glenn staring at her.

Soon enough the whole group had their attention on the two girls. While they talked to where nobody could hear, the noise from the other campers were as loud as ever, kids still running around, luggage in tow.

Michonne nodded her head towards Kelly, "Hey," She said in a soft tone to the blond girl next to her. "Kelly, right?"

Kelly turned her attention from Rick, who had been talking, and turned it on the soft voice coming from Michonne, "Yeah, Michonne?"

The girl simply nodded. "You seem pretty comfortable with this group." Michonne noted.

Kelly gave a soft smile, "Yeah, my dads are business workers, I guess you can say I've learned their ways in persuading people." The two shared a small chuckle.

"I've never really had a friend, and I know it's lame to ask-"

"I'll be your friend, Michonne. It's hard for me too. I travel around with my dads a lot and I was worried too, but it's going to be okay. I'll stick with you and you stick with me." Kelly smiled once more when she saw the girl in front of her seem a little more calm.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that." Michonne added. She took her eyes off her _friend_ , and when they landed on the group all looking at her and Kelly, she froze.

Kelly noticed the strange expression on her _friend's_ face and turned slightly to the group. "Oh, did we miss something?" Kelly mostly spoke to Carol. To Kelly, Carol seemed nice and caring, and Kelly really liked that about her. She also could tell that Carol didn't judge others, or at least not until she knew them, and she had liked how Carol handled Daryl and Shane.

"No, nothing much." Glenn spoke up thinking it was time for him to talk.

Kelly turned to him and nodded with a smile. She was just as nervous as Michonne but she knew it would help her come out of her shell by 'protecting' Michonne.

"Okay!" Deanna called out walking toward the group with a thin young woman walking close behind her, "Boys and girls, this is your group leader."

The woman gave a genuine smile,"Thanks Deanna, I got it from here. I'll have Abe introduce himself when he gets here too." The woman whispered the last part to Ms. Deanna and with that the older woman nodded before heading off in a different direction. "Hey guys! My name is Ms. Rosita Espinoza but, really, you can all call me Rosita." Once she received some nods she continued, "Oh, and girls I'll be your cabin adviser too. You guys don't look like kids that misbehave but Mr. Blake and Ms. Monroe wants us to keep an eye on you all."

"Who's _us_?" Maggie interrupted, not liking the fact that now she felt watched at all moments.

"Your other group leader... he's running a lit-" Rosita looked around before her eyes landed on a young man with red hair and a groomed goatee. "Oh, there he is." She smile sweetly to the approaching man.

"Sorry I was late. Mr. Blake was showing me his eye-patch collection again." The man stated a bit weary. "Anyways I'm your other group leader. Name's Abraham and that's what you can call me. Don't know if Ms. Rosita already told you boys but I am also your cabin adviser." He looked to Rosita for further instructions.

"Mm, guess that's it… the other groups are going to their cabins, so we should too. Girls come with me and boys you go with Abraham. We meet back here in an hour after we all get settled in, okay? And once we meet up we will be doing an icebreaker to clear the air, this is camp… it should be fun." Rosita noted at the end after noticing the eye-rolls, when she mentioned 'icebreaker'.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Once in the girls cabin, the girls set their bags on the bed they claimed and took a seat on their bunks. There were three bunk-beds and one single bed. Rosita got the single bed, Kelly got the bottom bunk with Michonne on the top, Maggie shared a bunk with Tara, and Carol shared a bunk with Lori. The girls who had a bunk on the top just sat on the other side of their bottom 'bunk-buddy's' bed.

"I'm impressed! Usually girls fight over the bunks, you made it easy on me this year." Rosita sat up on her bed, to relax from the extremely hot day it was.

"The last thing I need to worry about is were I sleep." Lori muttered.

"What's on your mind hon?" Rosita leaned forward to give the troubled girl her full attention.

Lori tilted her head, usually her parents didn't ask what was wrong if she felt sad. She thought it was because they were always so busy, and it was, she just wasn't use to that question. "For one, we're camping." She stated as Kelly smirked being able to relate to that. "And the second thing is, I didn't know cute guys were going to be here." Carol nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yay, this year we are starting 'boy talk' early! I swear you are the best group of girls I have had!" Rosita laughed, really sounding interested. She did like hearing the girls have these talks, joining in on them, and actually giving them advice was the best part.

"Ha. I guess." Lori looked around the room to the girls who couldn't help but smile.

"I can already tell you who is getting married." Kelly smirked having all the girls attention focus on her. "Oh come on, it is only obvious."

Rosita looked around confused and wanted in, "Wait...wait, I wasn't there when you all introduced yourselves… What happened?"

"Nothing much besides Carol stopping a boy fight and that one guy... what's his name... Glenn I think… yeah he had his eyes fixated on Maggie's face, one second longer and he could have drilled a hole in her skull." Kelly explained.

"Oh goodness, give me a break… he does not like me." Maggie's cheeks flushed red.

"He so does!" Lori started in with Carol laughing.

"Oh yeah, what about you huh, Carol?" Maggie didn't want to be in the hot spot so she looked for the fastest way out. "Daryl was it?"

Rosita raised her eyebrows, "Oh this is good! And it's barely been an hour since you all met!"

Carol nodded, "Exactly, I don't know him, and he doesn't know me… plus he is not my type… or at least... I'm not his. We are from two completely _different_ worlds." She explained.

Tara looked back and forth from all the boy talk… this was going to be the longest six weeks of her life.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The boys were easy going. They all got settled in as Abraham told them about some ways they could prank the girls with out getting caught. Their room consisted of two bunk beds and one single bed. Like wise the group leader, Abraham, got the single bed. While Rick and Shane shared a bunk, it left Glenn and Daryl to take the other one. Daryl on the bottom and Glenn at the top. Daryl just tossed his bag on the bottom bunk and when Glenn found out he was bunking with Daryl he _gladly_ took the top bunk with no questions asked.

When the boys were done unpacking and getting settled in, Abraham started to make small talk seeing as they had some time before they had to meet up with the girls. "So you guys got some good looking ones in your group, huh?"

"What? You talkin' about them girls?" Shane asked.

"No, I'm talkin' about them boys… 'course I'm talking about the girls!" Abraham smirked along with Daryl.

Shane mugged Daryl before looking back to Abraham. "Yeah, Lori was a cute one."

"Lori? Huh… all I seen was Maggie." Glenn announced as they all looked towards him.

Rick smiled. "Okay, Maggie is off limits." He joked.

"What about that girl, Michonne?" Shane offered as Rick shot his head over to him. "She was lookin' good, right?"

Rick swallowed hard. "Michonne?" His voice almost cracked. "I think that one girl… Kelly, was giving you the eye." Rick said, leading his friend on.

"Kelly… Mm, yeah I noticed her too… I think she was staring a little, now that you've mentioned it." Shane nodded looking like he was going into deep thought.

Rick felt like he could breathe again, Michonne was his, and this was going to be their summer romance.

"What about you, Dixon?" Abraham looked to the only boy not engaging in the conversation.

"Naw, ain't no girl for me here." He denied though Glenn saw right through him.

"You sure?" Glenn pressed.

"Yup." Daryl kept to it.

"Just thought I saw a little more with that Carol girl."

"Shut it." Daryl mumbled.

"Hey! No fighting." Abraham pointed at the two. "Now let's go or we're gonna be late. Then I'll never hear the end of it from Rosita." He jumped off his bed as the others did the same, and followed him out the cabin.

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all who has favorited and followed it means a lot, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	3. Chapter 2: First Steps

_**A/N - Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows they mean a lot! I should probably mention that Lori is going to be a bit difficult at first, but she is someone who I want you all to see change and progress over time. Again thank-you and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: First Steps**

"Oh, so you finally decided to show up, huh?" Rosita joked as she placed her hand on her hip with a raised eyebrow.

The boys had been fifteen minutes late. All the other groups had gone on and went down the dirt path that led to the lake to look at some of the summer activities available for the six-week stay while their group stayed and waited for their other half.

"Sorry, we got held up…" Abraham looked around and noticed that no other group was around, "So, what did we miss?" He questioned with a sheepish smile.

"Everything and then some." The brunette named Lori complained.

Abraham looked at the girl blankly then turned to the boys standing behind him with a brow raised. "Right," He finally spoke, turning back around to Rosita. "We better get started so we can catch up with the others."

"If that's even possible." The girl, Lori, interrupted again.

Rosita held back a laugh as she motioned for the boys to come closer and make a circle. "Okay guys, we are going to do a quick ice breaker and every time we meet up we will be doing one so get used to it now." She smiled up at Abraham when the kids sighed and moaned in disappointment. "Okay, okay, we get it. Now, Abraham, would you like to explain the ice breaker?"

Abraham cleared his voice, "So, since I already know that not all of you know each other, we are going to name someone who _was_ or _is_ an inspirational person in our life and how they were inspirational. We will go around in a circle starting with me then go to my left, got it?" The tall, young man directed.

"Got it." The rest of the group, including Rosita, simultaneously agreed.

Abraham nodded once then started in, "Someone who I found, and still find, very inspirational is a young woman. From what I have observed she is very hard working, strong, independent, smart, patient, and I have learned a lot from this woman just by working with her. You all know her as Miss Rosita." Abraham glanced at Rosita with a small smile. He smirked when her cheeks flushed to the same color as his red hair.

The girls in the group glanced between the two with smiles plastered across their faces. While the boys all cocked an eyebrow at the same time. Abraham and Rosita weren't together, but there was a spark of something when they were in each other's presence. Abraham was very clueless as to when a woman was flirting with him and, apparently, he didn't realize when he was flirting back.

Abraham took his gaze off Rosita and turned it to the group, "Your turn, Lori."

Lori huffed and thought for a minute before she spoke, "My dad is someone that inspires me because when I get older I want to be a woman of power and get the things that I want when I want. Oh, and earn lots of money just like him."

Abraham nodded, then motioned to Carol who bit the bottom of her lip. "Go on, hon." He said reassuringly.

Carol felt her palms sweat. ' _So what, you can stop a boy fight but not share a small little thing about yourself!?'_ She thought to herself. She could feel people turning to her so she sucked it up and stopped herself from blushing out of embarrassment. "My mom." Carol shrugged, seeing from the corner of her eye that _he_ , Daryl Dixon, was staring at her with all his force. "She does good things for people all of the time and I think that takes a lot of guts because not everyone is nice." Carol took a quick glance over to Daryl, as he put his head down, so did she.

Michonne nodded once she figured it was her time to share, "Mmm, I'd say my teacher. She's really smart and I want to know a lot of things like her one day." She kept it short and sweet so that she didn't have Rick's attention on her any more but unfortunately his blue eyes were glued to her even as Glenn started in.

"My mom because she's able to keep my three sisters from tearing me apart." He looked around the group and seeing some of the guys chuckle quickly explained, "They're monsters, I promise!" He assured, hoping he doesn't seem like a wimp - especially in front of the beautiful country girl, Maggie.

Tara shook her head. "My _old_ eighth grade teacher because I never knew one human being could be so evil, and that inspires me to be even more evil than her." Tara said, determination in her tone, as she received a smirk from Abraham.

Shane cleared his throat. He really didn't want to be there but there was no way he could go home so, he told himself he would stay just for the 'hot babes'. "I inspire myself. Each day I strive to be a better person. It's kinda hard with how awesome I already am but y'know..." He turned to look at Kelly, who had her brow raised, and winked at her, causing her to narrow her eyes in annoyance.

Rick looked nervous. He had thought of something sweet to say after seeing that his best friend had offended pretty much all the girls in their group with the 'I inspire myself' bit. He also wanted to impress a certain girl with dreadlocks. "To be completely honest, girls and women in general inspire me. Women have proven that they're able to complete the same tasks as men, if not do it better and they're also known to have accomplished greater things than men… I mean, look at Carol. What she did earlier was pretty brave getting in between Daryl and Shane like that." Rick gave Carol a nod and a small smile as she appeared shocked. He looked in Michonne's direction, to his surprise, she was looking him in the eyes with a kind smile on her face. All that he said was true, but seeing her make eye contact with him for the first time was icing on the cake.

Kelly didn't mind speaking to a group of people, since she would always talk to co-workers at both her dads' business offices, but she was a bit nervous now because she honestly hadn't thought of her answer as the others shared their own responses. "Mm, I'm not sure... my dads inspire me to be a good person and do the right thing." Kelly shrugged.

"That's a great example." Rosita assured.

"Dads, did she say dads?" Abraham whispered to Lori who stood next to him.

Lori looked up at the tall man with a reassuring nod that he had heard right.

Abe nodded looking back at Kelly, "Well okay then." He said to himself with a few nods.

Daryl stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. "My brother." He muttered. "'Cause he's my brother, no matter what."

Rosita smiled at Daryl when he glanced at her. Now, it was her turn and she already knew what she was going to say, "Well, what kind of person would I be if I didn't say Abraham?" She smiled at him as some of the girls giggled. Maggie who stood in between the two felt a bit awkward. "He's a good and caring person who's always there for me when I need him. Plus he puts up with me all summer long and that inspires me to be as calm as he is." She smiled at him again and he returned a kind smile back.

Maggie had already thought of her answer, seeing as she was the last person to go, she had more than just enough time. "There isn't really one specific person who inspires me because _everyone_ inspires me. Knowing that there's so many different types of people in this world inspires me to be different." She said with a sweet and kind smile which everyone returned, even Daryl.

"That was very good guys. Now lets join the others." The group broke into a line as they made their way to the camp grounds by the lake.

Rick caught up with Maggie, "Wow, you've got us all on your side now." He joked with the younger girl.

Maggie looked over to him, then looked up at the tall trees they walked passed, "Yeah? You too, Mr. Girls-Rule, very touching by the way." Rick smiled at that and when he looked ahead to glance at Michonne, Maggie noticed and shook her head. "We've only been here what? Two hours."

Rick shot his head back at her nervously, "Yeah, so?"

"So, you look at Michonne like she's your soulmate. How 'bout you talk to her before you decide to marry her." Maggie simply suggested.

Rick raised a brow, "You're probably right. Thanks, for the advice…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously and began to walk faster to catch up with Michonne.

Kelly smiled and held back a giggle when she saw Rick pass by her, almost tripping over his own feet. As she watched Rick make his way to Michonne, she noticed Shane look back at her and he slowed down immediately. Now she wished she was talking with somebody because the last thing she wanted was Shane's annoying presence around her.

"Hey, how's your day going?" He asked once she reached him.

"It _was_ going good." She folded her arms across her chest. She looked behind her to see two quiet group members walking side by side.

Carol smiled at Kelly when she looked back at her but it only put more attention on her from the quiet boy next to her. She didn't know why Daryl kept close to her, but she didn't mind it. He was a good looking guy but she knew a guy like him could never like a girl like her.

' _Why is she so nice lookin'? She would never fall for a loser like me… it jus' doesn't happen.'_ Daryl thought. He made himself mad enough to let out a grunt.

Carol looked up at him, "You okay?" She asked nicely.

' _Am I okay? No one's really asked me that before.'_ Daryl withdrew from his thoughts and glanced at her. "What's it to you?" He didn't mean for his voice to sound so harsh, but unfortunately it did.

Carol shrugged, "The assurance that one of my group members doesn't die on me." She glanced at him as he let out a smirk.

"No, then." He answered as he saw her, from the corner of his eye, looking up at him with a worried expression. "Was wondering..." He shrugged.

"Wondering what?" She felt her heart race and butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

"Was wonderin' why the hell did you get in front of me? I could have socked that punk kid square in his face." Daryl kept walking not looking at her reaction.

Carol's heart stopped racing and the butterflies all died. She turned the other way so he wouldn't see her roll her eyes. "Sorry I ruined your chance." Carol noted in a tone that sounded like she was annoyed.

"S'not the point. I coulda socked that kid in the face, then you got in the way… meaning I coulda socked you in the face... It was just dangerous to do what you did." He rushed the words out, seeing he had upset her. Why the hell did he even care if he made her upset? He never cared before.

Carol hide her smile from him and the butterflies were somehow resurrected, but she decided to play it 'cool'. "I guess." She also shrugged, nonchalantly.

"So why'd ya do it?" He pressed.

"I don't know. Nobody else was, so I did." She felt her cheeks heat up.

"You coulda got hurt… I'm sure you know that now... thank you, is what I'm tryin' ta say here." He cleared his throat as he dared to take a glance at her but again both of their eyes met for what seemed like the longest moment.

"Okay, we're here!" Abraham, who had lead the way with Rosita, announced.

The kids all looked around taking in the sights of all the activities they could do from zip lining to water skiing, rock climbing, cliff jumping, bike racing, and other fun summer sports.

"Summer camp just got interesting." Michonne said in awe. The rest of the group, who stood behind her, nodded slowly in agreement as they took in the sights.

Rosita and Abraham laughed to themselves seeing their kids' reactions to the activities. "Hey guys… guys!" Rosita snapped her fingers in front of them, as they slowly and simultaneously turned their heads to her as they were still trying to take in everything. "Now that I have your attention… I need you all to pair up!" She said cheerfully.

"Pair up?" Shane asked rudely.

"Yes, pair up, did she stutter?" Abraham enforced.

Rosita turned to Abraham with a 'knock it off' face. "Yes, pair up. It has to be someone from the opposite gender, I understand that we have less boys, so two girls will need to pair up with each other. I'll pick the two most responsible girls before you all start fighting each other." Rosita assured.

"Well who's the two?" Kelly persisted.

"Um…" Rosita looked at the six girls who tried putting their best innocent face on and all she could do was smile. "I'll say... Tara and Lori."

Lori smiled, "Yes, yes, yes!" She squealed, happy she wasn't pair with a boy, because she wasn't good in physical sports - unless you counted cheer leading and gymnastics which going by the activities by the lake wasn't really an option - and didn't want to be an embarrassment.

Kelly looked disappointed, "Thought you were picking the most responsible." She mumbled.

"Kelly stop." Abraham demanded as she rolled her eyes. "Keep rolling your eyes and they're going to get stuck like that, and that goes for all of you. No more eye rolls." He pointed out.

"Everyone pick your pair. Your partner is going to be the one you're spending _all_ day with tomorrow so choose wisely." Rosita mentioned.

The group that was strangely divided by girls on one side and boys on the other, turned to make eye contact with who they'd pair up with.

Maggie kept her eyes on the ground. She didn't want to be paired with a boy because she would feel uncomfortable. She especially didn't want to be paired with any of the boys in her group, seeing that most of them were older than her. She lifted her eyes off the ground and her cheeks flushed red when they landed on a boy standing a little too close for comfort.

"Glenn?" Maggie sighed, stepping back a little. She was glad to see it was just Glenn and not one of the other guys. Glenn, to her, was just some weird kid who tried to be funny from what she observed. She didn't even have the slightest crush on him… he was just there...

Glenn knew it would be a bold move to walk to Maggie as fast as he did. He didn't want any of the other guys getting to her, and he knew she would be one of the first to go since she was so beautiful. In just the two short hours that he had known her, Glenn all ready thought the world of Maggie. He also made it official (to himself) that she was the prettiest girls he had ever laid eyes on. He lit up seeing that he caused her to blush. "Is it cool if we're partners?" He decided to play it off 'cool' as if she were the one who had a crush on him.

Maggie titled her head at his strange behavior, and shrugged. "Sure… why not?"

"Oh cool, cool, so tomorrow then?" He again acted in a different light.

She thought the way he began to act was definitely weird… weirder than usual. "Tomorrow then." She decided to smile and be polite, but it only encouraged his strange behavior, as he went on about how he was forced to come here and how he had planned to get buff this summer.

Carol watched as Tara pouted, complaining about something along the lines of wanting to be paired with a boy so she could have competitions and beat them. Carol smiled to herself then looked over, now she was panicked. The only boy she felt she would be comfortable with was Glenn but Maggie was already paired with him. Carol definitely didn't want to be paired with Shane, he gave off a weird vibe and was happy when he started heading off into Kelly's direction. Turning around to look for Rick, she realized why Shane veered in the other direction… it was _him_ again.

"So, looks like it's just me and you!" Shane said putting his arm over Kelly's shoulders which she quickly shrugged off.

"You're right... I guess it's your lucky day." She stated. She felt disappointed at the turn of events, she thought she would be paired with someone... more decent than Shane.

"No, I feel like tomorrow will be… you know, when we spend _all_ day together." He winked at her adding, "We should sneak away maybe, just you and me, fooling around… if you know what I mean."

Kelly raised a brow, "Yeah, then I could get pregnant and put you on child support for the rest of your life... sounds like a great plan at the age of fifteen." She sarcastically put as Shane swallowed hard. "Shane, why can't you just be a gentleman? Then maybe you could get a nice girl like me."

"I could get you?" He questioned missing the whole point.

"No, I said 'like me,' you're not lucky enough to get the real thing." She joked as he smirked. She was stuck with him for all of tomorrow so she was going to have to make this work before she turned crazy. Besides what was the worst that could happen?

Daryl walked slowly to Carol. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes on the ground as Carol watched him make his way, slowly but surely, over to her. "We don't have ta be partners, but I think you're the only girl here who isn't afraid of me." He said, looking up at her with a shy smile.

Carol smiled back as she nodded. "I don't mind. Would rather have you than him." Carol nodded over to Shane who pulled a flower out of the ground and was trying to give it to a very annoyed Kelly who kept telling him to not pull the flowers out.

Both Daryl and Carol laughed as they turned back to each other.

Rick walked over to Michonne as she folded her arms, not surprised he was going to her. "You gonna talk to me now?" She question as he gave her a confused look. "Really? You caught up to me on the trail but you didn't even say a word." She pointed out.

Rick felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just... I didn't know what to say." He shrugged.

Michonne nodded. "It's alright, besides, whether we like it or not, we are going to have all day to get to know each other tomorrow." She lightly smiled as a wave of anxiety crashed over her from realizing she was going to spend all day with him.

Rick nodded, looking around to the other pairs and then over to Abe and Rosita who had been talking with other camp leaders. As he was turning his gaze back on Michonne, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention. "Guys!" Rick called to the others, as they slowly walked over to him. Again they created a circle. "Do we like this place?" He asked, as if they were all one person.

"We?" Lori asked, "I like the sound of that." She added, mostly to herself, but all of the group heard, as they nodded along.

Daryl looked around, even if he didn't want to admit it, he definitely did not want to leave now. "We like it here." He spoke, and for the first time, it didn't come out as a grumble or a growl.

"Alright, good." Rick said a bit weary for what he was about to tell them next. He looked back at the large wooden tournament bracket board that was set up on a raised platform that he noticed earlier to make sure the information he gathered was right. He turned back to the group and saw some confused faces.

"What is it Rick?" Lori asked, placing a gentle hand on Rick's shoulder.

"I think this is competitive." He said at once.

Kelly shook her head. "I don't know what you mean, competitive what?"

"Competitive sports." He said, still a bit weary.

Lori's mouth dropped. "What…what, what-"

"What she is trying to say, is … what the fuck!?" Tara interrupted, "I'm good in sports but I wouldn't say I'm the best and I can't pull the weight of the rest of the group."

"Rick, what are we going to do?" Lori asked, as if she were a damsel in distress.

Rick swallowed hard, the group was looking at him as though he had all the answers. He put on a straight face, stood up taller and said, "We show them what we got. We give them the best that we got."

Glenn bit the bottom of his lip, "Rick? What is it that we got?"

Rick thought for a short moment, he was a quick thinker thanks to all the times Shane landed the both of them in the principal's office back at his high school. "Well, look at us. None of us showed that we cared when we got here. That's good because it shows that we all have a good poker face. We'll be able to show our opponents that no matter what their size is or what they say we aren't intimidated by them. You guys are brave, and capable, and I can tell you right now that nobody is going to mess with Dixon." Rick nodded to his taller group member.

"How is that good for us?" Carol questioned, head tilted to the side.

"'Cause if no one messes with him, no one messes with us. We are a group and we take care of each other." Rick explained as Daryl nodded in agreement. "This is only the first day and I think we've made quite a bit progress, if I say so myself."

"I still really wish this wasn't competitive." Kelly complained.

"Hey, it's like you said earlier, let's make the best of this." Michonne smiled back when her friend smiled at her.

"Hey Guys?" Rosita questioned. The quiet whispers coming from the tight huddle the kids were in worried her that maybe they were planning an escape route out of the camp. "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing, I'm getting kinda hungry, though." Tara said, patting her stomach, as Kelly and Glenn nodded along.

"Well, I was just about to tell you all it's dinner time." Rosita smiled, placing her hand on her hip after hearing a few sighs of relief.

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed... but w**_ _ **hat is going to happen when they spend the day with their pair? Guess you'll see next chapter! See you soon, and don't forget:**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	4. Chapter 3: The Group Name

_**A/N- Hey guys, before the chapter starts I just want to ask you all if you prefer long chapters like this one or if you would rather have shorter ones? You can PM me or just leave your answer in a review, just let me know because I can write which ever way is more convent to you, thank you. Okay! Now on with the chapter. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Group Name**

The first day was almost over and there was still six weeks to go. The kids made a lot of progress in just the short time since they had met. Rosita still had her suspicions with how content they all seemed while they made their way back up the trail to the cafeteria. Things just didn't add up, but who was she to complain? At least the boys weren't throwing punches at each other and the girls weren't pulling at the others' hair. They all seemed to be sticking close together as a pack, and that was something she hadn't really seen before especially not on the first day.

Mr. Blake and Mrs. Monroe had it all wrong. These kids were good - if not the best - group Rosita was ever given. Michonne was talking to Kelly. Carol was talking with Tara. Lori and Rick were sharing stories about things that had happened to them while in school. Shane and Daryl were quietly telling each other about which moves to use in a fight, which only caused them to start arguing again, but no one really paid attention to their bickering. Carol did happen to take glances back at them only when their voices got loud enough. Maggie walked ahead of everyone to see if she could spot her little sister Beth with the group of other kindergartners and first graders. Unbeknownst to her, Glenn stuck close behind.

"Okay my friends." Rosita called for their attention. They turned to her once they reached the cafeteria. "Now when it comes to meals it's a bit different. You can sit next to who ever you want from any of the other grade levels." She explained.

"Yeah, but when you are done you need to find your cabin adviser and go with them. You got that boys?" Abraham asked and once the guys gave him a reassuring nod, he continued, "Good. Now since this is the first meal here Mr. Blake and Mrs. Monroe will be giving a small speech, so hurry up and get your food then take a seat with who ever, but don't, and I repeat _do not_ eat until after they are done with the speech... it's like when you say grace at Thanksgiving dinner."

"My family and I say grace before dinner every day, not just for Thanksgiving." Maggie said a bit confused.

Abraham's eyes widened a bit as he forced a nod, "Right, mine too." He said, quickly turning away. "Any questions. No? Good."

"Actually I had a question." Kelly tried to say but Rosita softly patted the young girl on the back as they watched Abraham rush into the front doors of the cafeteria. "What the hell was that about?" She huffed.

"Don't know... But I'm starting to think he lied about his family sayin' grace every night..." Maggie said as she began to head for the doors as well.

Kelly just nodded and made her way inside too. It was extremely loud with the other campers yelling across the room for their friends to come sit with them. Kelly was more nervous now than ever. She didn't have friends here besides Michonne but she guessed Michonne would see one of her other friends from her high school and choose to sit with them completely forgetting the fact that Michonne was home schooled. Shane and Rick had already gotten their food and were sitting at a table with some guys that looked like they knew them. Carol sat on the opposite side of the cafeteria with some girls who all seemed like the best of friends. Maggie sat with some little blonde-haired girl. She was currently helping the younger girl open her juice box while listening to her animatedly speak. Michonne sat in a big group of people but it seemed she wasn't even talking to anyone. Lori was telling a story that had most of her table mates intrigued. Glenn was still getting his food, and she had still had yet to find Daryl.

Kelly bit her lip and made her way to get her food. She slid her tray along the counter surface, the woman behind the counter slapping some food down on it as she slowly kept moving. Kelly couldn't help but stare at the food in disgust. She had no idea where to go now, her tray was completely stacked with nasty food and it was going to be awkward as she tried to find a seat.

 _What if once she took a seat everyone near her got up and left, like in the movies…_

For a moment Kelly debated on sitting next to Abraham and Rosita but she knew that was lame, especially since they were at a table with all the camp leaders. And then she saw him. Sitting alone at a round table, smack dab in the middle of the cafeteria, was Daryl Dixon. Kelly sighed in relief and made her way over to him.

"Hey Daryl!" Kelly said cheerfully, which even shocked her as she sat her tray down and sat next to him.

Daryl was a bit startled but quickly recomposed himself. "Hey?" He grumbled and looked around the room. "What are you doin'?"

Kelly shrugged, "Well I was going to eat this… whatever it is, after Deanna and Phil give their speech… what are you doing?"

Daryl just stared at her blankly, "That's not what I mea-"

"Okay kids!" Mrs. Deanna started, cutting Daryl off, "Again welcome! I'm sure you have seen the summer sports, and are excited for them! But we'll get into that tomorrow… we just want to make sure you enjoy this meal and we hope you get a good night's rest! It's going to be a long day tomorrow!"

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Monroe. Now, eat and enjoy!" Mr. Phil said as he took his seat next to Mrs. Deanna.

Daryl turned back to Kelly, "So, why are you here again?" He questioned.

"Daryl, please! A girl can't enjoy a nice dinner next to her new friend and not get questioned about it… I feel hurt." Kelly said, a bit too dramatically.

Daryl studied her face. "Don't know anyone here, huh?"

"Nope." Kelly admitted, as she turned to eat some food. "Well, maybe we could get to know each other for the time being." She offered a sincere smile.

"Or we could jus' eat…" Daryl quickly noticed Kelly rapidly getting angry and said, "You know talking is a good idea too." He unwillingly agreed.

Kelly just gave him an innocent smile.

The rest of dinner went rather well. Though Kelly did have to force Daryl to share stories about himself which kinda scared her hearing all that he had been through, but it was nice to get to know him. Overall he wasn't a bad guy and she even threw in a few subtle tips on how to 'woo' a girl. She also threw Carol's name in there a few times... nonchalantly of course...

Back at the girls' cabin nobody really spoke, they all just got ready for bed and went to sleep. Same went for the boys in their cabin.

The next morning was game day. Their group met up with each other on the Main Grounds and again the boys were late so they decided to not do an icebreaker and just made their way down the trail to the games. All of them felt nervous except for Tara. It seemed like she had trained all of her fourteen years for this. Even though most of them were nervous they all looked hard as a shell, just like Rick had mentioned the other day.

Rosita, who had gone to go get the list of rules and guidelines for the games, came running back with the papers in hand. "Okay got them!" She announced. "Okay, so for each age group, such as eighth and ninth graders, there are two groups which means you guys and the group you are all going against. Within one group you all need to get into pairs - which we already did - in order to complete a sport. So all we need to do now is meet the team you guys are going up against and have you and your pair pick the sport the two of you will be going to do today!" Rosita said, both a bit excited and nervous.

"Oh, wow, you make it seem so easy." Glenn noted.

"Who is the group we are going against?" Carol asked stepping closer to Rosita.

Rosita looked around, "Hmm, I think Abraham is already on that."

"On what?" Rick asked, now realizing how weird that sounded.

Rosita smiled. "Well, see... Abraham is really competitive and very biased. Let's just say… he is going to try and cheat for you all." She said noticing some smiles. "But, you guys can't cheat! So no matter how many times Abraham tells you about a shortcut on a relay race trail, or how you can stage an injury and blame it on your opponent, do not listen to him. Even if it is tempting." Rosita explained.

"So, where's Abraham again?" Lori questioned.

"He is stealing the name list of the other eighth and ninth grader's group." Rosita said plainly.

"It's not stealing when they hand it to you!" Abraham said, rushing over to his group. "Milton is the leader for the other team this year." He turned to the kids. "The guy is such a loser, does anything I tell him to." Abraham laughed.

Kelly was about to roll her eyes but stopped herself half way. "Well, lets hear the names so we know who we are up against."

"'Kay, tell me if you guys know any of them." Abe said as he took out the list. "Ed Peletier." He said looking up and right away he landed on a frightened Carol. "Carol, you know him?"

Everyone turned to face Carol, and Daryl seemed the most intrigued, "Yeah, he goes to my high school. He's really annoying." She admitted, folding her arms over her chest.

Abe nodded, "How? Is he like a nerd or something?"

Carol shook her head, "No, the opposite actually, he's one of those popular jock types and basically a bully."

"He's stuck up then?" Kelly questioned.

Carol nodded, "Yeah, and the fact that he asked me out four times a day. Every. Single. Day. Last year." She said feeling a shiver go down her spine.

Abe nodded. "Good, we got something against him." He joked - or at least the others took it as a joke - but Rosita knew the man was dead serious. "Okay Carol, have any of these other guys asked you out; Gareth, Nick, Pete, Aiden, or Gabriel?"

Carol smiled at how Daryl kept his gaze focused on her. "No, I can't say that they have or that I know them for that matter."

Abraham nodded in disappointment. "Okay well, these are the girls; Jessie, Andrea, Alisha, and Enid. Guys? Any of those names ring a bell?"

"Andrea sounds like a girl I dated once... can't be too sure till I see her face." Shane said as Kelly shook her head, "Oh sorry honey, does that make you jealous?" He asked walking to her.

Kelly's mouth dropped, "No! It makes me disgusted!" She said moving closer to her new friend Daryl, who just gave Shane a mug, which was enough for Shane to back down… for now.

Rick thought for a moment, "What's the last name for Gabriel?"

Rosita snatched the list from Abe. "Stewart."

"Oh, that kid goes to the same school Shane and I do. He's shy and quiet, mostly keeps to himself. I thought I saw him last night at dinner." Rick mentioned.

Lori thought for a moment before looking at Abraham, "Jessie who?"

Abraham took back the list. "Uh, Jessie Miller." He answered.

Lori raised a brow with a scowl, "Oh." She simply said.

Rick stared at her but couldn't pick up on anything, so looked around the group, "Do you know her? Or..." He asked, stopping once his gaze was back on her.

"Oh no, I know her. All too well, as a matter of fact." Lori assured with a hint of anger in her eyes.

Kelly smiled, "Good. So, what's her weakness?"

Lori snapped out of whatever thought she was thinking of. "Don't worry about her, she is mine." Lori assured in a dark but determined voice.

"That's the spirit!" Abraham shouted, which caused the groups around them to glance in their direction.

"Oh goodness…" Carol said as she saw a familiar face leading a group behind him as they made their way toward her group.

Rick and everyone made themselves look taller as they stood side by side with their poker faces on as the other group continued to walk toward them. "It's all good." He whispered softly to Michonne as he felt her arm shake.

He was a few inches taller, so she raised her head a little to look at him, "I know, it's just. Never mind. I'll tell you later." She said turning back to the crowd.

Kelly squinted her eyes and looked at Tara who stood next to her, "Why does it look like they're walking in slow motion?" She asked but Tara just kept mugging all of the other kids that were approaching. "Does nobody else see that?" She now turned to Shane, Glenn, and Maggie who all just shrugged.

Finally Rick was nose to nose with Ed.

"So you're the competition, huh?" Ed laughed, "I've been here at this camp since I was just a little kinder, like the rest of my group. You're walking on my grounds, kid." Ed spat.

Abraham's ears were changing to the same color of his hair but he didn't say anything. This was against the kids and his kids, not the kids and the overly protective and hot headed group leader.

"We'll see about that." Rick assured.

"You think you're going to win? We've won every year." A girl with blonde hair spoke, taking a second glance at Shane, she raised one of her brows as she grew an evil smile.

"Yup it's her." Shane said nervously, as he began to shuffle backwards.

Kelly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him forward. "Be a man!" She ordered.

"Oh, if it isn't my sweetheart." Ed said licking his lips and staring down Carol.

Daryl took a step in front of her, "Let's jus' get on with the games." He grumbled, looking over to Rosita and Abraham who had just watched the whole thing.

The two adults quickly nodded and lead the two groups to a sign-up table.

"I'll take on Carol." Ed said to his team but Rick's group could hear them too.

"Then you're taking on me." Daryl assured with a deep growl. He smirked at how Ed's mouth dropped a little.

"This is gonna be a long day." Michonne muttered to herself when she grabbed a pen off the table and looked at the list.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

It was settled. Kelly and Shane were doing the Agility Course Partner Run. They hand to climb up a ladder, cross a really high and unstable bridge, zip line to the other side, then once there, they needed to climb down a net, find their way out of a dark tunnel, crawl under a fifteen foot long wire fence and push the red button to announce they were done. And they needed to work as a pair through it all.

Kelly glared at Shane, "Why the heck is your ex after me? I don't even know her." Kelly said as they waited for the referee to say go.

"You think I know Kelly? Maybe it's 'cause she thinks we have a thing." He smoothly put.

"Well make it clear to her that we don't." Kelly stated as the whistle blew and the two ran for the ladder. They were faster than their opponents which were Andrea and Aiden. Kelly was up the ladder first and held her hand out to Shane, who took it as he neared the top. They both ran across the bridge as Kelly dared not to look down.

"You ain't afraid of heights, right!?" Shane called out as he pushed Kelly to go faster.

"No!" She called back but he knew she was lying.

"It's okay, I got you." He said as he helped buckle her into the harness seat straps for the zip line. Without warning he pushed her and she screamed all the way to the other side. "Sorry!" He called out with a laugh as he jumped on and zip lined to the other side as well.

"I will kill you, you know that right?" She said trying to catch her breath as they began to climb down the net and ran into the dark tunnel.

"Where are you?!" Shane said trying to see through the dark tunnel as he waved his hands in search of her.

"OUCH!" Kelly screamed. "You smacked me in the eye Shane!"

"Oh, sorry sweetie!" He felt terrible and a little afraid of what she might do to him once they got out of the darkness.

They both made it out alive and crawled under the wire. Shane and Kelly reached out for the button and ran towards it. Together, both of their hands came smacking down on the red button and they high-five'd each other seeing that they got to the button before the other two.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

Tara looked at Lori. This wasn't going to go well if Lori just kept biting down on her lip. Thankfully the sport they were given was super easy, Tag-Team Rock Climbing. Tara was really excited for it but she definitely needed Lori's effort in order to win. The rules were simple for the game- which ever pair could get to the top the fastest wins. The catch was that one partner had to stay on the ground until the first partner rings the bell way at the top, then the other could start climbing up and they, too, had to ring the bell.

"Lori?" Tara questioned, still strapping herself into her harness as she walked to Lori, "You okay? You look sick."

"I just need to beat Jessie." Lori said, buckling herself into her own harness.

"Good, you will. What's with you and her anyway?"

"She thinks she's better than me, always tries to take the guys that like me. We actually met last summer at cheer camp." She explained.

Tara nodded, "Oh, so did it start then?"

"Yeah, she wanted to be cheer captain but I got it." Lori said proudly.

Tara smiled and patted her friend's shoulder, "Nice! Now you act like this is cheer camp while you are climbing that wall and beat her like you did before, okay?"

Lori smiled, "Okay. Thanks Tara."

"That's what friends are for." Tara assured, and with a smile both girls were strapped to a wire. "Alright I'm going to go first, since I'll be faster."

"Okay, but you're going against that guy." Lori warned pointing across to see the opponent getting ready.

"Yeah, his names Pete. He looks a bit crazy and scary huh?" Tara shrugged. "But anyway, you got Jessie, right?"

Lori just nodded and with that the two anxiously waited for the whistle to blow. As soon as she heard it, Tara leaped on to the wall and quickly made her way up.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

Michonne and Rick were quiet as they prepared for their game, which was called Blind Maze Runner. Which was exactly that. One partner was blindfolded while the other partner tried to guide them through a maze and whichever partner lead the blinded one out first wins.

Michonne dared not to look at Rick. It was somewhat obvious that Rick liked her but he was just too cute. That's why she couldn't believe a guy like him would like a shy, lonely girl like herself. Granted he was shy himself but she couldn't like Rick even if she wanted to. The night before Lori had gone on and on about how she was really interested in Rick. So Michonne didn't want to break the girl code - or at least that's what she thought that they called it. She wouldn't know since she didn't have much friends or any friends for that matter.

"I'll guide you through the maze, if that's alright with you." Michonne said handing Rick the blindfold that would need to cover his eyes.

"Fine with me." He said taking it and looking back at her. "I trust you won't lead me into no walls." He joked as she simply nodded, not even cracking the slightest of smiles.

 _Was it something I said? Had I made her upset? Why does she look troubled?_

"I'll do my best." Michonne assured, looking everywhere but his face. Just once he wanted her to look at him so she could see his confusion, but she didn't.

"Michonne?" He called out when she began to walk away. She turned to face him and he took a few steps towards her. He honestly didn't know why he had called her name since he had nothing to say. "I'm glad you're on my team…" Was all he could think of. She nodded and headed in the direction of where she needed to stand with the mega phone in hand. Rick cursed himself and got to where he needed to be so the game could start. With the blindfold over his eyes he could hear the whistle sound and Michonne telling him to take ten steps forward.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

Daryl thought back to a few days ago when the police woman told him that he had to behave and couldn't get into any fights. Daryl had simply agreed then. But that was before he had met Ed Peletier. The guy was a douche-bag and talked a lot of crap. Daryl knew better than to throw the first punch but you can bet your pants that the second punch would be coming from his fist. Carol came back with Abraham following close behind.

"Okay guys, you know what the task is right?" Abraham asked and even as the two nodded, he went on to explain anyways. "So all you have to do is sand down these twigs with the sandpaper and throw them at those balloons. Which ever team pops all the balloons first, wins. Got it?"

"No, I'd like to hear it a seventh time." Daryl said sarcastically, making Carol smile.

"Okay, I can take a hint." Abe said backing up. The sound of Ed back-talking filled everyone's ears in a nine mile radius. "And can you shut that kid up? He sounds like a freakin' dying cow." Abe said when he started walking away leaving Carol and Daryl chuckling to themselves.

"Wow, Rosita wasn't lying when she said he favored us." Carol said as she pulled the medium sized twigs out of the bucket and placed them on the small table next to the sandpaper. "I'll sand them down and you throw them… I'm not good at aiming and those balloons are pretty far away." Carol mentioned.

Daryl nodded, "These games are so dumb." He grunted and picked up a twig.

Carol just nodded. The referee stood in between Rosita, Abraham, and the other team's leader; Milton. The leaders all looked nervous, more nervous than the kids but Daryl was completely calm. This was second nature to him. With all the times he'd gone hunting he could shoot his targets with his eyes closed from fifty yards away. This was going to be a piece of cake.

The whistle sounded off as Carol quickly sanded the tip of the twig to a point and handed it to Daryl. With the twig in hand Daryl quickly aimed it and threw it as you would a paper airplane. On the first try Daryl popped one balloon as Abe and Rosita cheered. Carol handed him another pointed twig and again he didn't miss. As Carol continued to sand down another one Daryl quickly looked over at his opponents, Ed and Enid, just in time to see Ed throw a twig that hit its mark, popping two balloons at the same time. Daryl grunted and turned to Carol.

"Go faster!" He urged.

"I'm trying but this sand paper isn't exactly the finest in town!" Carol said nervously.

"Fine." Daryl said as he took the one Carol was still working on and threw it towards the balloons.

"That's not ready!" She tried to warn him. She followed the flying twig with her eyes as it popped a balloon. "How? It wasn't even pointy?" She questioned as Daryl turned to her, quickly picking up another unsharpened twig.

"It don't have to be, you just gotta have enough force." He explained as he threw another one, and again it popped a balloon.

The leaders all stood in shock as they watched Daryl shoot down all twenty balloons with non-sanded twigs and not even missing one. The referee blew the whistle as he walked to the two pairs, leaders following close behind. Ed was yelling about how Daryl had cheated because he didn't use sharpened twigs.

"Actually." Rosita started in, showing a piece of paper to everyone, "It doesn't say that the twigs _have_ to be sanded down." She pointed out.

"Yeah, they don't have to be sanded down." Abraham said for back up, even though all the proof Rosita needed was on the paper.

The referee nodded, "Then they win." He pointed to Daryl and Carol. "You got one hell of an arm kid!" He complimented as Daryl nodded his thanks.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

Glenn stared at Maggie for a few short moments before he tried to focus. They were playing two on two street hockey and whichever team got to ten points won. The game had yet to start so Glenn walked to where Maggie was and took a hockey stick.

"How are you doing?" Glenn shyly asked.

She looked at him a bit startled but quickly nodded. "I'm fine, you ready?" She questioned.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yup." She forced a smile.

"Cool." He nodded.

"Yeah, cool." She continued.

They stared at one another for a long moment - in which Glenn enjoyed - before they needed to get in their places. "You wanna be goalie?" He asked, surprised at himself that he was the one who interrupted their 'special moment'.

"No, can I be the one on offense?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." He agreed.

Glenn set himself in front of the hockey goal and for the next fifteen minutes he watched Maggie and that one guy, Nick, battle it out for the orange street hockey ball. It was an intense battle and Glenn wanted to jump in a few times when he saw Nick getting a little too aggressive, but Maggie held her own. It was now towards the end of the game and the score was nine to nine. Maggie was making her way towards the other side with Glenn cheering her on from his place when it happened. Nick had pushed Maggie to the ground while the referee wasn't looking. Immediately, Glenn dropped his hockey stick and ran to the other side.

"What the hell man! Watch what you're doing, you could have seriously hurt her!" Glenn was furious. He knelt down to Maggie and grabbed her hand. Again their eyes met and this time there was something different glowing in Maggie's eyes and, no, it wasn't the beautiful natural glow that was always there because Glenn had already noticed that… it was just different this time.

"Glenn, it's okay." Maggie tried to calm him down as he helped her up.

The sound of the whistle blowing caused them to break their gaze on one another as they turned to the goal that Glenn was supposed to be guarding and saw Nick cheering along with his partner, Gabriel, and Glenn noticed why the two were so happy. The orange hockey ball was in their goal meaning Nick had scored the tenth point and won.

"What?" Glenn asked shocked as he and Maggie rushed over to the referee, he was too mad to even notice that he and Maggie were still holding hands. "That's not fair! He pushed her!" He argued, feeling a squeeze on his right hand and he realized their hands were still intertwined with one another, causing his cheeks to burn as he unwillingly let go.

"Sorry kid, I didn't see it." The referee said to Glenn.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

The games were over for the day and the pairs were heading back to their groups to tell them the good or bad news on whether they won or not. Michonne and Rick were the first ones there and waited for the others to show. First Abraham, Rosita, Daryl, and Carol came. Then Glenn and Maggie. Followed by Tara and Lori. And finally Kelly and Shane.

"Oh my god, Kelly!" Michonne gasped rushing to her friend. "How did you get a black eye?!" She questioned, carefully touching her friend's face.

"It's turning black?" Kelly asked fearfully and felt her own face, wincing when she accidentally put too much pressure on the bruised skin.

"What happened?" Carol asked, concerned and as she got closer, so did the whole group.

"Shane is what happened." Kelly said as Abraham turned to Shane, but before the man could go on a rant about not hurting their own team members - that's what the other team's competitors were for - Kelly quickly added, "It wasn't his fault! We were in a dark tunnel and couldn't see our own hands in front of our faces, let alone each other." She assured.

Abraham nodded. "How did you guys do anyways?" He asked.

"Good. We won." Shane announced.

"Nice! So did me and Lori." Tara added with a big smile. "I thought I was fast, but you should have seen her. More importantly the poor girl, Jessie, her face was priceless. It was so hilarious!" Tara went on.

"Oh, it was nothing." Lori blushed as everyone congratulated her.

"What about you Michonne?" Kelly turned to her.

Michonne shook her head, a small smile on her face, "No, we lost. Apparently Rick doesn't know his right from his left." She joked.

Rick smiled, trying to hold in a laugh, "Well it would help if you were giving me directions for _my_ left not _yours_." He calmly testified. The others in the group all laughed with the two at the explanation for their unfortunate but funny loss.

"Glenn, Maggie? How was it?" Tara asked getting them back on track.

"It was a tie for the most part." Maggie assured.

"Yeah, before that stupid guy Nick pushed her down and won." Glenn huffed with indignation at how that guy could so easily hurt someone as wonderful as Maggie.

"It's okay. I'm fine, Glenn." Maggie blushed at how protective he was.

Daryl raised a brow. "Wait, he cheated yet you guys still lost?"

"The referee didn't see it so yeah." Glenn answered bitterly.

Rosita was mad, but Abraham was furious. "That's not going to happen again, you hear? If it does, you stop the game and call me or Rosita, but mostly call for me, okay?"

The group all laughed once more, knowing he was serious, and replied with an 'okay' as well.

"Man, you should have seen Daryl though. That kid was on fire!" Abraham praised, "He threw unsharpened twigs, UNSHARPENED, at balloons from twenty feet away! Didn't miss a single one!"

"Nice Bro!" Shane congratulated with a high-five as did all the others.

"And it's okay if some of you guys lost today, the real games don't start till three weeks." Abraham continued.

"Are you saying this black eye could have been avoided?" Kelly pointed to the darkening spot of purple on her right eye.

"Sorry. I knew Shane was reckless, but not to that extent." Abraham apologized

"It was an accident!" Shane testified.

"Anyways, the last three weeks is when the winning actually counts, but don't get me wrong, winning now matters too. So that way you guys can talk trash and so I can talk trash too... to the other leaders of course…" Abraham explained.

A tally keeper walked up to their group. "So, three of your pairs won and two of your pairs lost, right?" She asked, as Abraham confirmed. "Okay, and what is your group's name?" She questioned looking up from the clipboard and stared as the group all blankly stared back.

"Name?" Lori was the one to break the silence.

Once the tally keeper told them she would come back when they picked a name, the group huddled in a tight circle; the same way that they had just the previous day when they agreed they would stand together.

For five minutes all the kids threw out random names but the others shot down or disagreed on most. Then it was silent for another two minutes until Glenn spoke up.

"We should be called, like, The Zombies or something." Glenn offered.

"Zombies, really, Glenn?" Lori questioned.

"That's not even-" Tara started, but was cut off.

"Wait, let's hear him out, he's the only one who's offered a name in the past few minutes." Rick said as he turned toward Glenn, kind of interested in where the younger guy had come up with this name, "Go on."

"I read a comic book series about a group surviving an apocalypse or something, I stopped reading it though. My favorite character in there got beaten to death by some bad guy with a bat… anyways. Zombies are killing machines. They, like, kill people and they don't even care, they don't have any emotions… in the comic book they basically took over the whole world. And they killed so many lives, but in this case we can kill so many dreams! I mean, all the other team wants is to win, but if we win then that dream of theirs is crushed! And we will show no remorse in doing this, of course, which makes us, The Zombies!"

"Wow Glenn." Maggie said a bit impressed of what he had come up with.

Glenn just smiled, "It's nothing, really…" He said feeling his cheeks get hot.

"So, we are… The Zombies?" Daryl fearfully asked. He already hated the name, he liked the idea - crushing Ed Peletier's dreams of winning and making sure he stayed the hell away from Carol - it sounded good to him. He just hated the name.

"That's good but let's pick something a little more… serious." Kelly suggested.

"Wait, you want us to be the dead?" Tara questioned.

"No, Not just the dead, kind of like the walking dead or something along those lines." Glenn assured.

Rick liked the sound of that. "Yeah I can see it. We are… The Walking Dead."

* * *

 ** _There it is! I thought the comic book should make a cameo, an yes in this universe the people in the comic book are completely different. Lol._** ** _Don't forget to tell me your thoughts!_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	5. Chapter 4: Lost & Found

**Chapter 4: Lost & Found**

They had all agreed. Their group name was going to be, The Walking Dead. With that settled, Abraham told the tally keeper and she wrote it down on her clipboard. The rest of the day was going to be them exploring around the camp with their group until dinner which would be held in a few hours. Rosita had just returned with an ice pack for Kelly and now they were planning on going hiking up one of the mountains.

"Abraham!" A snobbish, female voice called out behind him. "Pleasant seeing you here this year." Her voice was cold and she seemed the least bit interested for whatever his snag remark might be.

Abraham turned to looked at the woman and rolled his eyes, "Dawn. I see you haven't changed… don't take that as a compliment." He quickly noted.

That was it. Her life was over. Tara could feel someone reach inside her, rip out her heart, throw it to the ground, and stomp on it. She knew that voice all too well. Fearfully, Tara turned around to the woman mentioned as Dawn. It was her, "Ms. Lerner?!" She couldn't help but scowl.

The woman's icey cold eyes looked back and forth to Abraham and Tara. "Tara, what a surprise!" Her voice sounded completely fake at this point.

"What a surprise?! You stuck me here against my will!" She shouted causing the rest of the group to turn around along with Rosita. "That's why, huh? You were sad you weren't going to get to ruin my life anymore because I would be off to high school, so you put me here to torture me!"

"Hey what's going on?" Rosita questioned Abraham but he was in deep thought and didn't even hear her question.

"Tara please. I honestly thought you would like it here." Her sweet tone could have fooled everyone within a fifty foot radius but it just couldn't fool Tara.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right you evil wit-"

"She was your teacher!" Abraham had finally figured it out and just in time before Tara could go on her rant which would just get her into trouble.

Tara raised a brow to Abraham but couldn't help to smirk when she heard one of her group members whisper 'it's her _old_ eighth grade teacher, yeah the one that she wants to be more evil than.'

"Which scrawny little group do you have anyways? The kindergartners I bet." Abraham said as he let out a laugh to top off his 'smart' remark.

Dawn smiled, "Wouldn't you wish." She sneered. "Move aside children." She said as she pushed past their group. "That is _my_ group." She pointed her finger as everyone followed it with their eyes.

"You-you have the other eighth and ninth graders' group?" Rick questioned as he took in the sight of Ed's group.

"Smart boy... I was afraid your simple minds wouldn't catch on." She laughed. "Now if you will, I've got a group to train." She said as she walked away, leaving them all dumbfounded.

Shane grunted. "Man, I really hate that woman. Talkin' all smart and shit." He grumbled.

Tara nodded, "Sorry guys, I really wish you all didn't have to see pure evil in human form." She said with a shrug.

"All the more reason to win." Maggie assured.

"Good Maggs! That's what I'm talking about! You have to keep a positive mindset." Abraham praised.

"Alright guys, lets just go on the hike and clear our minds, we don't need all this competitive stuff getting to us." Rosita stated, scooting all the kids up the trail.

Daryl was a head of everybody instead of being in the back for a change. The whole group was already slowing down and they weren't even half way up yet. Daryl enjoyed hiking, well, just being in the outdoors made him feel good. He honestly hadn't realized how far up he was until he looked back and didn't see anyone behind him. He shrugged it off and continued on his way.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

Lori went on about how she didn't even give Jessie the chance to catch up to her. They all enjoyed listening to her victory and laughed at how enthusiastic she was as she relived each moment. Rosita just smiled and turned to get a glance at the kids behind her, which were Carol, Glenn and Kelly. She looked back to the front and noticed Maggie, Michonne, Tara, Shane, Rick and of course Lori… but… where was Daryl?

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god?!" She gasped, as she held her forehead with one hand and had the other one over her mouth. "He's gone! He left! He's escaped!" She panicked as her breathing got heavy and her knees buckled.

Abraham quickly helped her stand otherwise she would have rolled all the way down the mountain. All the kids had stopped and focused their attention on their hyperventilating leader.

"Who? What are you going on about?" Abraham questioned.

"Daryl!" She snapped. She turned to the kids. "Did you guys see him!?" She asked, looking to the kids, who all looked in different directions for their missing group member.

"I didn't see him up here, he's usually with Carol." Shane pointed out.

Carol's cheeks flushed red. "He wasn't even back here with us… right Kelly?"

Kelly looked sad, "I don't know… can't really see with one eye." She stated as she still held the ice pack over her right eye.

"I don't think he can be too far." Maggie spoke up. "He might be further up the trail." She assured.

"I didn't see him pass us though." Rick stated. "Maybe he is back down there... probably went to the restroom." He shrugged.

"He could have went into the woods." Kelly offered. "He told me about how he went hunting a lot with his older brother… maybe he wanted to explore." She explained.

Abraham just nodded. They couldn't lose Daryl, he was their star player... oh... and he could get hurt out there. "Okay, we'll go back down and see if he's there, if not we'll look in the woods." He said as everyone nodded and rushed back down the way they came.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

The hiking trail that lead up to the top of the mountain was very curvy filled with lots of trees and bushes that crept onto the actual pathway. Daryl was familiar with most of the types of bushes he walked by but never did he know of a bush that sounded like it was crying. Before he walked any further he carefully looked around. Taking note that his group was still far down he carefully approached the crying bush. When he rounded it, he was shocked to see a little girl curled up in a ball and crying her eyes out.

Daryl cleared his throat, which caused the little girl to look up at him quickly.

"You lost?" He asked. He felt completely awkward. For one, he didn't know how to talk to a little kid. Two, he could barely comfort himself let alone another person. And three, she was crying… enough said.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

"Tyreese!" The young woman called out in a panic.

"Sasha? What? What is it?" He questioned, seeing his sister's eyes almost pop out of her head.

"We're missing one!" She whispered trying not to alarm any of the kindergarten or first graders.

Tyreese quickly counted each child by the top of their head, then looked wide-eyed back to his sister. The one time he decides to lead a group with his sister, they manage to lose a child and it was only the second day. "Guys!" Tyreese said in his calm friendly voice, "Have you seen Sophia? Any one?"

The little ones shook their heads, but a little blond nodded her head as she scooted back her messy long locks behind her shoulders.

"Beth… sweetie, do you remember where she went?" Sasha calmly asked.

Beth thought for a moment. "She said she wanted to reach the sky." She answered with a smile.

Both leaders widened their eyes and looked at each other, "The mountains!" They managed to say at the same time.

Sasha and Tyreese managed to get the kids inside the gym and asked two other leaders if they could watch the kids. With the two other leaders willing to take care of the kids, both Tyreese and Sasha ran outside and ran to the main trail.

"Oh my god, sorry!" Sasha apologized when she ran into another person.

"It was my fau - Sasha? Tyreese? Where's your group?" Rosita asked.

"Karen's watching them, we lost one of our kids." Tyreese explained.

Maggie's eyes widened. She already knew who Tyreese and Sasha were because Beth was in their group, and she was praying that Beth wasn't lost.

"We? More like Tyreese lost one of our kindergartners." Sasha testified.

Maggie took a deep breath. Beth was a first grader, so it couldn't be her.

"Okay, we'll help you look but we're missing one of our guys too." Abraham said.

Sasha let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you and we will help you as best we can." She assured.

"He's probably long gone by now." Glenn said as everyone turned to him. "Hey, if you think he actually escaped, Daryl could be halfway home by now," he started to say causing Rosita's eyes to nearly pop out of her head, "but I don't think he did." Glenn quickly assured.

"I say we head back up the trail, one of our kids said that Sophia would most likely be there." Tyreese said as all nine teens and four adults headed back up the trail.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

When the little girl looked up at Daryl, a relieved look washed over her face. She quickly stood and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You found me!" She said crying into his shirt.

Daryl softly grabbed her shoulders and push her back a little. "Okay. Um, listen kid, you got a group or something?" He asked nervously.

The little girl just nodded.

"So… where are they?" He questioned getting a little frustrated.

She just shrugged.

"Great." He sighed to himself. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sophia… are you gonna help me get back to Mr. and Miss Grant?"

"Those your leaders?" The little girl just nodded. "Yeah I'll help." he assured. "But you can't cry.' He warned.

"What if you don't know where to go?" She sniffed.

Daryl could see her worried expression coming back. He huffed, what was he supposed to tell her? He awkwardly patted her back with a little too much pressure. "We're gonna be fine. Come on now." He said taking a few steps away from her. He took a glance over his shoulder to find her standing in the same spot she had been in. "What's wrong?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"My mom told me to not follow strangers." She explained.

Daryl grunted. He didn't understand children. Just a moment ago she had her arms wrapped around him and now she wouldn't follow him. "Listen girl, I'm gonna leave whether you're with me or not." He said a bit harshly.

Tears swelled up in Sophia's eye as her bottom lip began to quiver. "Please don't." Her voice shook with fear and her glossy eyes got big as a tear fell.

 _Shit._ "Okay, okay. I ain't gonna leave you." He assured walking closer to her. "I'm Daryl. See? Now you know my name... so, now, that I'm not a complete stranger anymore, let's get off this mountain."

A small smile appeared on her face as she wiped some tears from her face. He nodded and turned to lead the way. He had his hands rested at his side as he looked at the different trails before he felt one of his hands being tugged into a much smaller one. When he looked down, he found that Sophia was gripping on to it as she gave him an innocent smile.

Daryl just continued to walk as he kept hold of the little girl's hand. He felt completely uncomfortable. This wasn't him. He didn't care for others. Was summer camp making him… soft? For the first time ever, he prayed. He prayed that this was just a bad nightmare.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

"Sophia?!" Tyreese yelled.

"Sophia?!" Rosita shouted right after Tyreese.

"Sophia!" Lori called out in a softer tone.

"Soph!" Glenn called, as everyone turned to him with a 'look'. "If we call her by her nickname maybe she won't think she's in trouble." He shrugged.

"Oh no. She is in big trouble when we find her." Sasha said, waving a finger as she spoke.

"What if she was near and then she heard you say that?!" Kelly said in a hushed tone. "Sophie, you're not in trouble! We just want you safe!" She yelled out cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Gosh, even the kids know better than you." Tyreese mumbled.

"Quit bickering." Carol said in a stern tone. "There is a little girl out there and she is probably scared to death. We just need to focus on her." She explained.

"Yeah, it's gonna get dark out soon." Michonne noted with a look towards the sky.

"Sophia?!" Tara started as she continued to walk.

"Sophia!" Shane called out.

"Sophia you out there?!" Rick questioned, looking in the tall trees.

"Sophia? Sweetheart you need to come out!" Maggie said in a welcoming voice.

"Daryl?!" Abraham called out. Again the group stopped to look at him. "We are missing two kids, not just one!" He said in a hushed tone.

"Daryl! Sophie!" Glenn joined in.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

"Come on. I say we take this trail." Daryl said as he looked down to little Sophia who stood by his side.

"I came up that one though." She pointed to her left.

"I know… I came up that one too, my group should have been here by now but I think they forgot about me and headed to dinner." He explained in a grumble, getting lost in his own feelings. He cleared his throat, "But this trail heads straight down. We'll get down faster." He assured.

With that the two headed down the narrow path. It was steep at some parts so Daryl made sure to hold Sophia's hand extra tight. The two hadn't spoken as they carefully made their way down, the main reason being was that he had no skills with kids. Just because he was still considered a kid himself didn't mean he could relate to a little girl who clearly had no experience out in the wilderness, unlike himself who practically grew up in the woods.

"I really wanted to get to the top of that mountain." Sophia started.

"Me too… me too." Daryl mumbled.

"Will I ever get to?" Sophia asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

Daryl shrugged. "How would I know?" Again his voice had a bit of force in it, and he could see the hope draining from her eyes. "Tell ya what. Later this week, your group and my whole group. We'll go to the very top."

Her eyes grew wide. "You really mean that?"

Did he just promise her he would spend a day with her and the rest of the ankle biters? "Mhm." He answered a bit weary.

Again it got quiet, after Daryl had promised to dedicate a whole day to his worst nightmare… children. Thankfully, he had said 'whole group', he was going to make them pay for forgetting about him.

"Cool, look." He pulled Sophia to the side of the trail.

"What is it?" She asked as she knelt down to the floor like Daryl was doing.

"A doe, this is it's tracks." He explained.

"Isn't 'dough' for cookies?" She innocently asked.

Daryl face palmed himself. She was going to get a few tips whether she liked it or not - Lord knows she needed it. "A doe is a girl deer."

"But there is two sets of tracks." Sophia pointed out.

Hmm, maybe she wasn't all that helpless. "Very good." Daryl said as he stood up. "Means she's got a baby."

"A baby?!" Sophia squealed happily.

Daryl put his hand over her mouth. "Shh!" He warned as he let go. "She's near, so we gotta stay quiet." He explained.

Sophia nodded, as she ran her fingers across her lips and twisted her fingers, as if she had zipped them and locked them with an imaginary key. Daryl just huffed as he slowly lead the way with Sophia behind him. They got off the trail and carefully walked within the trees. Sophia was scared so she reached out and gripped onto the back of Daryl's T-shirt but immediately let go when her eyes landed on the doe and her baby.

"There she is." He whispered as he shifted to put his hand on her back and lightly pushed her to get in front of him. "That's her fawn." He pointed to the smaller one. "Cute ain't it?" ... _Oh yeah, he is too far gone - goodbye bad reputation and hello to the new on call babysitter._

"Yeah." She said in complete awe.

"Let's go… we should be getting back." He said as he took her hand and led her out of the trees and back onto the trail.

 _ **Summer… Summer… Summer**_

"I don't think she went up this far." Tara said through her heavy breathing.

"Why do you think that?" Sasha questioned. Her own breathing was heavy too.

"'Cause _I_ can barely go up this far." She answered wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah, we could be wasting our time." Rick started in. "She could already be down there."

Tyreese nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Let's head back down."

Everyone turned around and started back.

"Should we go down a different path?" Carol suggested.

Everyone just shook their heads.

"Nah, I don't see a need to." Shane said as she nodded.

"I never wanna see this mountain again." Lori huffed as they reached the bottom a little while later.

"Yeah, I'm never climbing that again." Michonne stated.

"I won't make you." Abraham said, still trying to breathe regularly.

Rosita looked at her watch. "Great," She sighed "dinner starts in five minutes."

Sasha shook her head in disappointment, "I hate to say it… but we have to let Deanna and Phil know." It looked like it had hurt her to say those words. "Thanks kids, for helping… it means a lot." She sighed.

"We'll take it from here guys. Just go in and get your food and eat." Tyreese said as they all hesitantly walked into the cafeteria.

Sasha, Tyreese, Rosita, and Abraham walked nervously to where Mrs. Deanna and Mr. Phil sat.

"Hey boss." Abraham greeted Phil.

"Hey. What's up? You all look frightened." Mr. Phil said, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Yeah. It's just…" Sasha started, then looked at her brother. "Tyreese has something to say."

Tyreese sucked in a breath. "It wasn't my fault, I promise." He said in a rush putting his hands up.

"Well it certainly wasn't mine!" Sasha testified in a hushed tone.

Abraham rolled his eyes. "Stop!" He said getting their attention.

"Thank you Mr. Ford." Mrs. Monroe said. "What is the problem that makes all of you look so guilty?" She questioned.

"We look guilty?" When Deanna nodded, Rosita's eyes widened. "Well I can assure you that we are not." She pointed to herself and Abraham. "But them…" She now pointed to the other two leaders. "They look suspicious."

"'Cause we're black? Where are the humanitarians!?" Tyreese bluntly stated. He knew he was stalling but he was going to do so for as long as he needed to.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Rosita responded.

"Hey! We aren't the only ones who lost a kid today!" Tyreese blurted, Sasha nodding her head in agreement.

"What?!" Both Phil and Deanna questioned in alarm.

"Well, at least our kid isn't six years old. He's fifteen, almost sixteen, and he practically grew up knowing how to hunt and survive a few days in the woods." Rosita quickly defended.

"Yeah, he's got a killer arm. You should have seen him earlier today, boss. That kid has some serious strength in him." Abraham said, backing up Rosita but getting sidetracked with boasting about his kid's victory.

"Excuse me!" Deanna cut in, "Regardless of what age they are, are you trying to tell us that you both lost a child from your group?" Deanna questioned. Before any of the four young adults could speak up to answer the camp directors, they were interrupted by someone calling out to Tyreese and Sasha.

"Mr. and Miss Grant!" A tiny voice shouted, coming from behind them as little arms wrapped around Sasha's waist.

"Sophia!" All four leaders shouted. Their voices were loud but the kids in the cafeteria were louder and nobody took notice of the reunion.

"I thought you said-" Phil started to say, only to get interrupted by the group leaders.

"We're so glad you're back!" Tyreese said, giving the small girl a hug.

"Never, ever, run off again on your own! How on Earth did you get back here?" Sasha questioned as she gave the girl another hug.

"Daryl found me! He's really nice! Daryl led me down the mountain and we even saw a doe, that's a girl deer, and her baby. The baby deer are called fawns, right Daryl?" Sophia asked, turning around towards the young man who had been silently standing behind them.

"Yeah." Daryl said plainly, trying to keep the usual grumble out of his voice.

"Daryl!" Rosita smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

Phil ran his finger along the strap of his eye patch and asked firmly, "What is going-" only to be cut off again.

"Thank you!" Abraham said dramatically, as he did a bow. "And this concludes our little skit called… uh… mh-"

"Lost and Found." Daryl finished. "No thanks to any of you…" He grumbled under his breath. "Imma go eat." He said as they watched him walk away.

Abraham leaned into Rosita, "I thought I was never gonna see that kid again."

Rosita smacked him on the chest without force and whispered, "No you didn't. You only thought about not getting the star athlete back."

After getting his tray Daryl had made his way back to his usual spot. He laughed to himself, scaring some younger kid who was passing by, when he saw Kelly sitting at their table, picking at her food with one hand and holding a new ice pack to her bruised face with another. He slapped his tray down just to startle her, which worked. Kelly let out a gasp, almost dropped her ice pack in the "meat surprise" and nearly jumped out of her seat. When she looked up at him, her one good grew five times its natural size.

"Oh my god! Daryl! What? How? Do they know you're here?" Kelly spluttered trying to ask so many questions but only succeeding in getting tongue tied.

"Yes, mom." He rolled his eyes at how concerned she seemed.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief... but it wasn't for the reason you might think it was.

"Good, I thought I was going to have to eat dinner alone!" She exhaled dramatically, as Daryl just shook his head. "I'm just kidding… we were all really worried for you, but we were also looking for this little-"

"Girl named Sophia? Yeah, she's here too." Daryl assured.

Michonne looked across the room just in time to see Daryl scare Kelly as he slapped his tray down. She smiled to herself and tried to read their lips as they spoke but she got nothing. Shaking her head at how ridiculous she found herself, Michonne picked up her tray and stood up as she made her way over to the table that the two sat at.

Carol glanced up and noticed Michonne was making her way across the room. Then she noticed Daryl was back. She hurriedly got up and picked up her tray. "I'll catch up with you guys later." She informed the girls she sat with and walked over to the table three of her teammates were sitting at.

"Mich, you're here!" Kelly smiled as her friend took a seat next to her.

"Yeah." She smiled. "But look who's back!" She nodded to Daryl. "We looked for like, two hours for you."

Daryl just nodded, then Kelly nudged his arm. "Look." She said as they all looked at Carol approaching them.

"Daryl! I'm so glad you're okay!" Carol said as she took the seat next to him.

He quickly swallowed his food that was in his mouth. "Yeah, yeah." He cleared his throat, "No need to worry." He assured.

Carol just smiled sweetly at him. "You really gave us a scare."

Daryl just looked down at his food. His life was completely changed here. And it had only been two freakin' days! People seemed to be interested about his feelings… and not just people, girls. Girls like Carol. It was just completely different than what he was used to back where he was from, and he kinda liked it. "Sorry, I just thought you guys were right behind me headin' up, but then I found Sophia, and helped her get back here."

Carol's mouth dropped. "You found Sophia? That's so great!" She smiled at him again.

Daryl just nodded. ' _Now what the hell did Kelly say? Something about, 'sweet talking'... well, how the hell do you do that?'_

* * *

 ** _This was just a side chapter to do the heart some good. #SavedSophia. But next chapter we'll see some cute/awkward teen romance happen between some of them. And Shane gives a few words of wisdom to the guys. It's gonna be good._**

 ** _Thanks to all that review, it literally makes my day!_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time... (Which will be really soon!)_**


	6. Chapter 5: A Word of Advice

**_A/N- A know I had promised a chapter a lot sooner than this, but I'll make it up to you all, I promise! Hope you review, and enjoy, and on with the chapter now!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Word of Advice**

The next morning the boys got up extra early to get ready for breakfast. Daryl woke with a headache because the night before the others had asked him a million questions on where he was. They all headed to breakfast and Carol and Michonne sat with Daryl and Kelly again. Michonne explained how it was to be home schooled for most of the meal and Daryl was thankful for that as he still wasn't ready to talk to Carol yet… because he honestly just didn't know how.

After breakfast the group met up at the Main Grounds and surprisingly Abraham and the boys were there before Rosita and the girls. And after Abraham gave her an ear full, Rosita started to explain the icebreaker.

"So this icebreaker is going to be like last time. We are still getting to know each other, so it's important we know more about each other. The question you will be answering is; if you could eliminate one weakness in your life, what would it be? Now since you can't simply eliminate a weakness, the rest of your group mates will tell you how you could work on it, to make you stronger than that weakness. We will start with me and like usual we'll go to the left." She explained. "I'm not as confident as I may look." Rosita stated. "Now you guys tell me ways I can make this weakness a strength."

"By doing what you're doing. You are a great leader." Michonne voiced as the others nodded in agreement.

Rosita smiled. "Aww thank-you sweetie. See, this is going to make us a stronger team." Rosita assured.

Abraham nodded. "And by knowing each other's weaknesses, you as teammates can help with that and it could be great knowledge while you're in a game." He noted. "You're up Kelly." He nodded to the girl that was on the left of Rosita.

Kelly thought for a moment. She already had her answer because of what happened the other day but she wanted to make it look like it wasn't easy to find a flaw. "I would want to eliminate my fear of heights." She explained. "Good luck with trying to help me there." She mumbled.

"Come on, it's not that bad… you did just fine yesterday." Shane pointed out.

"I was scared out of my mind! It wasn't helping that you kept pushing me either." Kelly shot back.

Rick shook his head, his best friend could be so insensitive at times. "Listen Kelly, you being afraid of heights has to be connected to something. Did something happen in your past from being high up somewhere?" Rick questioned the girl.

The second Rick mentioned that, it took Kelly to a memory of her at a playground when she was little. She winced at the memory. "When I was in second grade, a girl pushed me off of this really tall play structure. I landed on my face." Kelly admitted. "Tanbark does not taste good." She warned.

Tara's face went blank. All the times when she was younger and had pushed other girls off of things came to the forefront of her mind. She hadn't known there could be long term effects. "Well, no need to worry. I think what you need to do, is that every time you are somewhere high, think about that moment then think of what you would do to that girl if she were standing next to you." Tara suggested. Kelly took that into deep consideration and nodded.

Carol was next and she of course was nervous. Maybe that was her weakness; being nervous to talk to people. Of course finding a weakness would be so easy. "I have a hard time opening up to people. It just doesn't come easy to me I guess." Carol said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Daryl nodded. He could relate to that - being around someone new was hard, but being around her was especially hard. "I think we're all that way." He shrugged. Realizing that he had said that out loud, he cursed himself as they were all looking at him so he could explain more. "You just want to be liked and all, so you feel like you have to be someone you're not because you're afraid they won't like who you truly are… but that's not the case most of the time, it's just in your head, that's all." Again he shrugged. Everyone seemed pleased with his answer so they turned to the next person and Daryl felt like he could breathe again.

Tara was next, she looked at them with a raised brow. "Like you guys don't already know my weakness." She sighed. "Not keeping my mouth shut is a humongous weakness of mine."

Abraham shook his head, "No! No, it's good! It will scare your opponents." He quickly assured.

"Yeah, but what if the referee calls a foul on me and I don't agree with him?" Tara questioned. "I can promise you that he will end up with a broken noise by the end of our debate." She warned.

"We can work on that." Glenn spoke up.

"How?" Tara questioned.

"We can have a phrase or something." Glenn thought for a short moment before adding, "Like if we see you getting mad we can say the phrase to you to help calm you, and no matter what you have to listen."

Tara nodded. "I can live with that."

"So what's the phrase?" Maggie questioned.

Glenn looked around his surroundings, then a light bulb went on in his head. "Look at the flowers." He suggested.

"Look at the flowers? What if there aren't any flowers around?" Tara questioned.

"Just imagine them. Flowers make everyone happy." Glenn shrugged and Tara nodded.

Maggie couldn't help but smile at her teammates, but now it was her time to share. It hadn't taken her a long time to find something to say for her weakness but she was kinda glad that they were discussing this because her group needed to know this about her. She sighed then looked at them, "My weakness is that I take things really personal. Like yesterday when Nick pushed me. I just kept thinkin' I was a horrible person for losing to that guy. I felt like I was letting the team down." She admitted.

Glenn's eyes almost popped out of his head, and his blood was close to boiling. The next time he saw Nick he was sure to kill him. "Maggie you are everything but horrible. That guy was a jerk and was just doing anything he could to win, it had nothing to do with you." He assured.

Maggie smiled at that. She liked that Glenn was protective over her. Ever since he helped her off the ground, her heart would flutter around him. She had judged Glenn on the first day they met and now she knew she was completely wrong. "Thanks." She blushed but quickly turned the other way so he wouldn't see.

"Yeah Maggie, just ignore it." Shane started in. "It can be hard but I know, and this group knows, that you're a good person. And you definitely didn't let us down." Who knew Shane could be a decent person too?

Next up was Michonne and likewise she had thought of her answer before hand. The less time the spotlight was on her the better. "I have a hard time trusting people. It's kinda the reason why I don't really have friends." She confessed. It would be interesting to say the least, to see how the others would reply to this.

Rosita could see the others were trying to think of something good to say, so she decided to help them. "Has someone lied to you before?"

Michonne shook her head. "No I just have a hard time with it."

"Maybe you're afraid someone will let you down." Maggie offered, and this time Michonne nodded. "You should try to find a reason why you should trust them. Do you trust yourself?" Maggie questioned.

"Of course." Michonne answered.

"Then find out why you trust yourself and see if others have the same qualities. If they do, then it might be easier to trust them." Maggie explained. Michonne liked that idea.

Rick cleared his throat. "Michonne," He started as everyone turned to him. "Maybe it would help you if someone proved they could be trusted." He suggested.

"How so?" Michonne asked.

"Look," Rick said walking to the center of the circle, "come here." He motioned for her. Michonne raised a brow and very slowly walked to him. "Now turn around." He said.

"What?" Michonne was confused, and the spotlight was definitely on her longer than she wanted it to be.

"Just turn." Rick said again, as he gently held her shoulder to help her turn. The group was all silent as they watched intensely. Once Michonne's back was to him Rick spoke again. "Good, now fall."

Michonne glanced back only for him to give her a reassuring nod, and with a deep breath she willingly began to fall backward but before she hit the ground she was caught and held by Rick. She opened her eyes and saw his face right in front of hers as he smiled at her. As quick as she could, she stood and turned to him.

"Did that help?" Rick raised a brow.

Michonne nodded. "I think it did. Thank you." She smiled.

Rick just nodded. "I'd catch you any time." He assured, as the two made their way back to their spots. Shane had been his friend long enough to where he somewhat knew how to sweet talk.

Glenn was next but he couldn't see straight. What he just witnessed was pretty cool, he wanted to be able to talk to a girl like that, and he couldn't help but to notice the blush Michonne had on her cheeks as she made her way back to her spot beside him. Then his weakness came to mind… well two of them came to mind. One, was Maggie but he couldn't admit that to the group so he thought up another one. "I suck at timing things. If there is a serious situation, I might make a joke. Or if someone is having a bad day, I'll make it worse by telling them more bad news… but I don't do it on purpose, it just happens." He shrugged.

Lori had tuned out of the whole conversation the second Rosita started to speak, but now she was listening since she had seen that Glenn was talking, meaning only one more person till it was her turn. She decided it was time for her to speak. "I think you should assess the situation. Think before you speak." She offered. "You are probably saying those things because you are nervous, so just take a breather." She explained.

Daryl was next and at this point he was completely confused. He had went back and forth in his head over and over again on which weakness, out of the two he had picked, that he would tell the group… but now that it was his turn he forgot both of them. He grunted, 'a damn weakness I have is I can't remember shit.' He complained to himself. Then he got one, "I go with the flow of things. Just don't really like making tough decisions." He simply stated.

"Well do you want to be the one making big decisions?" Tara asked.

"Not really, no." Daryl said.

Tara raised a brow, "Then what's the problem?"

Kelly looked over at the younger girl and said, "Flowers, Tara." Then she turned to Daryl. "What she means is, why do you feel like that?"

"Jus' feel like... like I'll mess it up somehow." Daryl admitted, surprised by his honesty.

"You should try and challenge yourself." Rosita stepped in seeing that they were making some serious progress with Daryl, she really did want to help him. She also felt extremely guilty after the fiasco of leaving him behind on that mountain yesterday. "How about, for the next few days, Daryl makes the big decisions for this group." Everyone nodded their head, but Daryl shook his.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Daryl warned.

"I think it's a great one!" Abraham assured his star player. Daryl just sighed, he should have told them something else.

It was Lori's time now and she was pretty sure everyone knew what her weakness was. "I'm stubborn. I want things to go my way and I have a hard time working in groups."

Tara was kinda the same way, so she could understand. "It's gonna be hard, I've been there before. I say, put yourself in their shoes. See where the people you're working with are coming from before you shoot down their ideas." She suggested. Lori nodded her head in agreement with the suggestion from Tara. She could give that a shot.

Shane waited till Tara was done talking before he began to speak, "I honestly couldn't think of a weakness, and I still can't." He shrugged with a sly smile. "But, you guys could try to think of one…" He made a hand gesture, "Be my guest." He said sarcastically, not expecting anyone to say anything.

"How about that big head of yours." Daryl bluntly stated.

"Yeah, and how you treat women." Kelly started in.

"And your short temper, dude." Tara pointed out, after seeing the death glare Shane was giving the others.

Abraham held back a laugh and that was apart of his weakness. "I've been told I'm too... inconsiderate. I don't think I am but it's what I've been told." Abraham shrugged.

Rosita rolled her eyes. "Abraham the only way we can help you is if you admit you're inconsiderate."

Abraham sighed. "Fine. At times I could be a bit, inconsiderate."

"A bit?" Rosita mumbled.

"At times?" Glenn questioned.

Abraham lifted a brow. "Are you guys going to help me or mock me?"

"Maybe you should give a random person a compliment." Maggie shrugged before a better idea came to mind, "Oh! Give Tara's old teacher a compliment today." Maggie offered.

"No!" Both Tara and Abraham said at the same time.

"Maggie is right. Give that woman a compliment and then you will realize it's not so hard to give anybody else a compliment." Rosita stated.

Everyone was silent for a moment so Rick guessed it was his time to speak. "My weakness would be my baby brother. I feel like I have to always be looking out for him, fight his battles for him… I don't mind, but then I feel like he will just be expecting me to do everything for him. I want him to be able to handle things and stuff for himself." Rick explained.

Carol smiled at that. "Then teach him. Show him how you handle a situation." Rick smiled his thanks at the auburn haired girl and now the icebreaker was complete.

Summer…Summer…Summer

The games were getting started and Rosita had told them to get into pairs with someone different than who they had been with the day before. With that being said Rosita had to choose another girl pair and this time she chose Michonne and Kelly, after Kelly practically begged her. Everyone else was, of course, panicked. Daryl really wanted to shoot himself. The only other girl in the group that probably wasn't afraid of him or be uncomfortable around him was Kelly and she was paired with Michonne. Glenn was also uneasy since he couldn't be with Maggie.

Carol looked at her only two options, Shane and Rick. Unfortunately Lori had snatched Glenn up quicker than she could blink. The moment Rick looked over at her, she smiled and gave him a slight nod. It was settled, Rick and her were to be partners for the day. Carol hadn't felt bad once she saw that Tara was partnered with Shane because she knew Tara could handle all that Shane had to offer.

Daryl sighed when he saw that Maggie would be his partner. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable and when he realized he felt this way he grunted aloud. It was getting worse - him caring for others - especially those on his team and crying little girls - it was getting worse and he wished he could stop. "Maggie, I'll look out for you. Nick or whoever we go up against won't do anything to you with me around, okay?" He guessed that was the best way to start things off.

Maggie slowly nodded. "Thanks…" She said slowly, a little bit confused.

Daryl closed his eyes and rolled them. "Glenn… he wanted me to promise you that." He lied, now that he knew she wasn't uncomfortable, he felt uncomfortable. Girls were so hard to read.

Maggie smiled as she looked over to Glenn who was talking with Lori. "That's sweet of him. And sweet of you to tell me. Thank-you Daryl." She smiled.

'God, what did I do?' Again he found himself praying. "Yeah, no problem." He forced a smile.

"Hey, Dixon!" Daryl heard someone shout. The voice annoyed him but he huffed and slowly turned to face Ed Peletier. "See you're not with my girl today." A smile grew across his face.

"You talkin' about Carol? 'Cause she's not your girl." Daryl stated. He walked closer to the other guy and the rest of The Walking Dead group slowly started to walk closer, as well, but at the same time kept their distance.

"We got an eye on you Dixon… I got an eye on you." Ed warned.

"Yeah?" Daryl huffed. "That's probably why you lost yesterday. Keep your eyes on the game boy, then maybe you could win." He assured.

"Shane." Andrea raised a brow. "You gonna leave her like you left me?" She questioned, glancing over to Kelly, who squinted her eyes.

Shane just stared at Andrea and for the first time he didn't know what to say, her glare was just so evil.

Tara wasn't going to stand for this nonsense of not talking back, and her curiosity was getting the best of her. "Depends on how he left you." Tara folded her arms across her chest and acted as if she didn't care for the answer.

"Over a text." Andrea pursed her lips and placed both hands on her hips.

"Really Shane?" Tara said with disgust, he definitely wasn't helping the cause. Tara just shrugged, "You look like you deserved it anyways." Tara plainly said, eyeing the girl's short shorts before walking away, as Andrea hung her mouth open in shock.

"You guys ain't got nothin' on us." Nick said as he spat on the ground.

"You all keep cheating and we're gonna have something on you." Finally Shane spoke up his anger was finally coming to good use. "We're gonna get one thing straight. Right here. Right now." He added, as both teams paid close attention to him while he spoke. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." Shane was furious and Abraham was excited. "You," Shane walked closer to a guy as he pointed his finger at him. "You the one who pushed Maggie?" The guy didn't answer. "I asked you a question." Shane's voice was deeper, and the guy slowly nodded. "Push her again and you're gonna wish you could feel your finger, 'cause I'll break them all." He warned as he went back.

"That a threat?" Ed asked, "'Cause I could say the same to you."

"Yeah? Then say it." Rick started. "You're screwing with the wrong people." He assured.

"Like we said, we've won every year. Isn't that right Mr. Ford?" The girl Jessie looked at Abraham.

Lori also turned to Abraham, "What is she talking about?"

"Oops! I didn't know you hadn't told your group Mr. Ford." Jessie said covering her mouth in a devious way.

Michonne was confused. "Tell us what?"

Abraham thought for a moment. This is why he was inconsiderate, he dealt with teens that were ten years younger than he was. He sighed. "They used to be my old group." He explained.

"Yeah, used to. A few years back he left us for an older group on the third week and never gave us an explanation." Enid spoke up, glaring at Abraham.

Kelly sighed. That wasn't the best thing to know about their leader. What if he left this group too? She could see her team mates were mad at hearing this but nobody said a word. It was like a staring contest between Abraham, Daryl, Rick, Shane, and Glenn along with, Michonne, Tara, and Lori. Kelly could see Carol just had her head down and Maggie was looking worriedly at everyone. Then she noticed the smirks on the other team's face. They were trying to make them turn against their leader and Kelly wasn't going to stand for that. "I'd leave you guys too if you were my group." Kelly spoke up, shocking everyone - especially Abraham.

Ed took a step toward her. "What did you say girl?"

Shane now had his full attention on Ed, who made his way closer to Kelly. "Back up Ed." Shane warned.

Rosita was walking alongside Milton and Ms. Lerner. They had been getting a list of rules for that day's games when the three of them noticed how the two teams were faced each other. "Great." She sighed and picked up her pace. "Hey!" She shouted. "Games are starting so get in your places with your partners now." She ordered as they all separated.

"Thank-you Abraham, for encouraging this behave between our teams." Dawn said eyeing some of her kids that stayed near. "Who left you alone to watch the teams anyhow?"

"Listen lady, I am in charge of my group, not yours. Maybe you should put your hawk eyes to good use and keep an eye on them." Abraham warned.

"Don't patronize me." Dawn sneered. "You were the only adult around them so you're the guardian." She added.

Abraham shook his head. "Well it's good they get their feelings out. You think I will let them fist fight? 'Cause I won't. They are young adults, they can handle themselves. So talkin' mess won't hurt them, it will help them."

Milton nodded. "I think Abraham's got a point."

"Shut up Milton." Dawn sighed as the two walked away.

Summer...Summer...Summer

Tara and Shane were preparing for their game. It didn't take much seeing that they were playing a simple game of Egg Toss. They put on their gloves and Shane made his way to Tara.

"That guy gots problems." Shane said looking over to his opponents which were Gareth and Alisha.

Tara looked over as well. "Yeah. But, hey, just focus on the game."

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it." He assured.

Again the two looked over only to see the girl, Alisha, tie her hair up in a pony tail.

"Man that girl is hot." Shane sighed.

Tara raised a brow with a slight nod. "Yeah. She is." She simply said, as she kept staring at the other girl.

Shane glanced back and forth at the two girls then nodded his head with a slight shrug. "Well, okay then." And with that he got in his position for the game.

Summer...Summer...Summer

The day was coming to an end and the games were all finally over. Unfortunately, the only two pairs that won were Daryl and Maggie, and Glenn and Lori. Abraham gave them a pep talk and then they headed to the cafeteria for dinner. Daryl and Kelly were once again joined by Michonne and Carol, that was their little meal group and it was nice… even for Daryl. Once dinner was over all the boys headed back to their cabin to get ready for bed.

Before he got in bed Glenn did a few push ups. Daryl couldn't help to notice as he continued to watch Glenn. Daryl hadn't realized that he was counting in his head at how many Glenn did. "Fifty." Daryl said aloud before feeling suicidal for the second time that day. What was with him? He was changing so much in so little time. He didn't even know himself anymore.

Glenn rested on his knees as he took a second to breathe. "I didn't know I had an audience." The youngest boy joked.

Daryl slowly nodded. "Right, sorry man." He apologized as he sat on his bed. "Why you doing that anyway?" He questioned not really too interested. Or at least that's what he told himself.

Glenn shrugged. "Just wanna be fit."

Shane, who sat on the other side of the room, shook his head. He knew exactly what his younger team mate was doing and why he was doing it. "Don't worry so much Glenn. Maggie seems like she digs you, bro." He assured, not glancing up once as he read his magazine about cars.

Glenn's ears reddened. He didn't think he had made it that obvious that he liked her. "Um. Thanks?" Glenn turned to Daryl, who just shrugged. "Shane." Glenn felt completely weird to ask what he was about to ask. "You seem like you have some experience, you know, with girls and all." He trailed off.

Now Shane looked up, he was some-what interested in holding this conversation. "Yeah… and?"

Glenn shrugged. "I was just wondering… how do you do it?"

"Do what? Talk to girls?" When Glenn nodded Shane sat up straight. "Okay, I'll help you… Rick? You listenin'? You could use some help." He joked.

Rick came out of the bathroom that was connected to their cabin. "Yeah, I hear you." Rick would have told Shane that he didn't need help, but he always enjoyed the passion in his friend's voice while he gave advice.

"Okay. I know you like Maggie a lot, and who wouldn't right? Anyways. It's all about knowing the type of girl she is." Shane explained. "You all need serious help from what I've seen." Shane muttered.

"Is there any hope we'll be as good as you?!" Daryl sarcastically questioned. He tried to seem the least bit interested but he mentally took notes. 'Note one: find out what type of girl Carol is.'

Shane rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, you have to seem interested in her."

"Seem interested in who?" Abraham walked in.

"In a girl you like… Shane is giving us some advice." Glenn explained.

Abraham looked confused. "Why didn't you come to me? I bet I know more than Shane… I am older."

"Calm down Red. This isn't a sport." Shane assured. "And you know what sir, by all means… you teach them." Shane gestured to for his leader to take the spotlight.

Abraham nodded. "Okay. First what you want to do is court her-"

"Let me stop you right there." Shane interrupted. "First off, I don't think I've ever heard the word 'court' before." Shane stood from his bed.

Great. All Daryl wanted was a few tips on how to get a girl before he went to bed, but now it seemed like he was just going to have to stop his leader from killing his team mate. "Hey!" Daryl growled. "Someone needs to explain this to Rick and Glenn, so start… the sooner this is over the faster I can go to bed. Now hurry up!"

"Fine. Courting is when you tell a girl you like her and you want your relationship with her to go further." Abe explained.

"Cool." Shane sighed dramatically. "You know what we call that now a days? Dating. Times have changed."

"You know what? You explain. I'd like to see you make any sense." Abraham took a seat on his bed.

"Thank you." Shane mumbled. "When there is a girl that you feel is worth going out of your way to please, like you Glenn with Maggie… or you Daryl with Carol," Shane started, noticing the glare Daryl gave him. "You just gotta be in that moment, complement her on the little things. Don't just use pickup lines, use lines that will complement her. Yes, that means you have to do some thinking but in the end if you feel she is worth it, then it will be worth it."

Rick was confused. "Shane, if you know all this… why treat girls the way you do? You could have all of them after you if you were nicer." He pointed out.

"Knowledge is power, and I just have too much power I can't control it." Shane shrugged.

Glenn shook his head, "What if you're too nervous to even talk to her?" Glenn basically took the words right out of Daryl's mouth.

"Just don't think about it." Both Abraham and Shane simultaneously stated.

"They are just as nervous as you, so you have to keep that in mind." Abraham pointed out.

"Honestly, I don't know why I just don't stick with one girl. I'd be such a great boyfriend." Shane thought aloud to himself. "Maybe Kelly is the one."

"No." Daryl quickly replied.

"Why not?" Shane questioned.

"'Cause she doesn't like you." He simply answered.

"We'll see about that. I bet you all I could have Kelly fallin' for me faster than any of you with your girls." Shane took a seat back on his bed.

"Deal." Abraham agreed almost immediately.

Glenn scrunched his eyebrows. "Who are you gonna be with?" He was almost afraid for the answer.

"I got Rosita. We've known each other a while now." Abraham shrugged.

Shane felt he had done something good for once. He helped the needy. It wasn't hard either, but then a thought came to mind. "Oh, and don't go for Tara. You'd just be wasting your time… let's just say, she's not interested in any of us in this room." He warned.

* * *

 ** _Points to those who got all, The Walking Dead references! Didn't focus too much on the sports this chapter, but I really wanted to show you some of there feeling towards each other, such as the drama between both teams and the little #Richonne moment. Hope you enjoyed! Much love to everyone who has showed support for this fic. I have sooo many things that are going to happen in this fic, though I fear I wont be done by the time summer is over. I'll try and finish this before winter so you are not reading a summer fic in winter. But, again, thank you to all that support, this chapter is for you ;). And to the 'Next Chapter' reviewer who talked about the #Caryl hug, that is a brilliant idea and I might just have something happen just so they could hug like that ;)._**

 ** _Review. Follow. Favorite._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	7. Chapter 6: Mission Complete

_**Here's another chapter for you wonderful peeps. Thank you to those who review! Your sweet comments warms my heart but I can't take all the credit. I'd like to thank; Torey Roday & Elise Malfoy for helping me with ideas. I'll also like to give a huge thank you to Acacia Rose Masen for editing the chapters and also giving me some good ideas. **_

_**Now on with the chapter, hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave a review! I love to read your thoughts!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Mission Complete**

After breakfast they met up for the icebreaker. The icebreaker was a short game called Line Up, which went quicker than the day before. After that they headed down for the games and when Daryl saw Ed, he quickly flipped him off when none of the adults were looking. Secretly Abraham noticed and smiled to himself. Rick was frustrated as he looked around his group and took note of some things he noticed. For one, he felt bad for Glenn and how he tried to speak to Maggie but just kept stuttering. Two, he felt bad for himself because he couldn't even get himself to talk to Michonne. And three, whatever the hell Shane was doing, seemed to be working with how Kelly was laughing. He decided to stop brooding and focus on what today had in store for him and his team.

"Mr. Ford -" Rick started only to be interrupted.

"It's Abraham. Only _those_ kids call me Mr. Ford, you got that Grimes?"

Rick shot a wide eyed glance at Lori, who just shrugged. "Sure, but you can just call me Rick. Anyways, was just wondering what we have for today."

"We have what we have." Abraham said firmly, as he continued to walk ahead of them. Now all the kids payed close attention to their leader - something seemed to be bothering him.

Then it clicked in Shane's head. "Ooh, I think I know what this is about." He started and now Abraham stopped and faced all of them. "Did you try to _court_ Miss Rosita?" He lifted a brow.

Lori thought to herself before asking, "Why would Abraham take Rosita to court?" The other girls shook their heads as they asked themselves the same question.

"Yeah are you like suing her or something?" Tara questioned.

"No, nobody is taking anybody to court!" Abraham huffed.

"Yeah, Mr. For- Abraham," Glenn caught himself. "Said that was what they used to call dating." He explained.

Now the girls understood. "So did you?" Carol questioned.

"Did I what?" Abraham asked.

Michonne rolled her eyes, he was so simple minded at times. "Did you 'court' Rosita?"

Abraham shook his head, "No. It takes time. Enough about me though. We have a big day ahead of us."

"Where's Rosita?" Tara asked as she jumped off of a log.

"Hey be careful! We don't want you having a broken leg." Abraham warned. "And she is getting the guidelines for today." He explained.

All the kids impatiently waited along with Abraham. It seemed like forever but finally Rosita was in sight. She was walking in the middle of Dawn and Milton, clearly, she was trying to block out the sound of the two leaders arguing back and forth. By the grimace on her face it was apparent she wasn't succeeding. Next time she was sure to have Abraham go get the rules. When she reached her group she couldn't help but smile, they seemed just as miserable as her.

"You all ready? This is a bit different than the past few days." Rosita started.

"How so? What are we going to be doing?" Michonne asked.

"Mr. Blake and Mrs. Monroe will announce what will be happening today so when they start talking pay very close attention and no talking, do you all understand?" Rosita explained.

Most of the team turned to Tara and she slowly nodded. "I can keep quiet." Tara promised. "I just don't know if Shane can." She added.

"I can be quiet!" Shane testified in a rather loud voice, causing Kelly to lift her eyebrow and look pointedly around at the other groups that were now looking their way. "I can be quiet!" Shane promised, this time in a whisper.

"We'll see." Rick mumbled to himself.

Again they waited until Deanna and Phil showed up on the outside stage facing all the groups. Mrs. Deanna started to speak when she grabbed the microphone. "Ah, yes, welcome to your fourth day here at summer camp!" Once the whistles and cheering of the crowd stopped, Deanna spoke again, "I take it that you are enjoying yourselves." She smiled, "Now, I'm sure your leaders have mentioned that today is going to be a bit different than the other days, and that's because it will be different." She explained. "Today's activities will require you to pair up with a different activities group in order to complete a game." She went into further detail as Rick's and the rest of the team's face fell.

"Yes and we are excited for you all to push past your comfort zone and reach out to a stranger." Mr. Phil started. "Who knows, you may just end up friends! Now before you all rush around, there are some things you need to know." He said in a more serious voice. "First things first, you can not pair up with your competitors because then there will be no competition." He continued to explain, "Who you _can_ pair up with is any other team from a different age group whether they are older or younger." Mr. Phil added, "And you have to pair up in fours. Yes, you are playing all together in a game, but there needs to be a buddy system. Two from your team and two from the other team will count as a 'pair'. You as an individual will need to keep an eye on your buddies especially if they are younger. Am I clear?" When the crowd replied with 'yes', some nods, and a few salutes, Mr. Phil continued. "Good. Now pair up and let the games began!"

Abraham quickly turned to the group. "Okay now I say we go to the juniors, they are the most competitive and they look threatening." He suggested.

Carol shrugged. "That seems like the best choice." She agreed.

"So lets find them." Shane said looking around as did the rest of the group.

They all looked in different directions to see if they could spot the slightly older campers but there was no luck until Maggie finally landed her eyes on them. "You talkin' about those juniors?" She bit her lip as everyone turned to see Ed's group with the older group.

"Damn it!" Shane huffed.

"It's okay there's another junior group!" Rosita assured only to look disappointed a moment later when she noticed the sophomore's had already paired with them. "Or not." She mumbled under her breath.

Daryl shook his head. This was ridiculous. He should have known this would happen to him with his luck, he would be lucky if they got paired with the fifth graders. "What now?" Daryl questioned as he heavily sat down on a log.

"What now? Aren't you the one who's suppose to make the decisions?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, and I think my decision is that we find a group then go from there!" Daryl growled, as he stood and began to pace in front of Shane and the others.

"No time for fighting." Carol cut in still looking around. "We need a group and fast." She explained.

"Abraham? You got any ideas?" Kelly asked.

Abraham thought for a moment then shook his head. "Can't say I do. I don't really pay too much attention to the younger kids." He shrugged.

Lori pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay. We should look for the other seventh gra-" She began but stopped when she opened her eyes and immediately saw them in a group of twenty already. "Nevermind." She sighed.

Glenn instantly turned to Maggie when he heard her gasp. "What is it?" He worriedly asked.

"Don't worry guys, I got it! I know the perfect group!" Maggie squealed. Everyone gathered close to her with hopeful smiles. "Let's go! We need to get them before someone else does!" She added as they all rushed after her, trying to keep up. Abraham almost ran in to Maggie when she stopped abruptly.

"Where's the group?" Abraham questioned, a little out of breath from the spontaneous sprint they did.

Maggie looked up to her tall leader. "You're looking at them." She stated.

Abraham lowered his gaze even further from Maggie to the little people who were gathered in front of her. "Maggie? They're a bunch of kinders and firsties. They're gonna be pretty helpless in helping us win." His voice was slightly raised as Kelly, Tara, and Michonne bit back a laugh.

Maggie raised a brow. "Excuse me." She started in, the country accent in her voice emphasized each word she was about to speak. "But my baby sister is part of that team. She is anything but helpless. It's not your decision anyhow. If anybody has a say it's Daryl, isn't that right everybody." Maggie said looking past her leader to her group behind him. They replied with a head nod but the little kids behind her even answered with a yes.

Rosita smiled. "Look at their cute faces!" She cooed.

"Is that gonna help us out on the field? We might as well wear T-shirts that say, 'free hugs'." Abraham huffed.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Well Daryl? What do you say?" Maggie questioned as she put on the nicest smile she could muster up.

Daryl walked closer to the front of the group to get a clear look at the little kids, ' _damn I'm not even lucky enough to get the fifth graders.'_ He thought. "Um, uh-"

"Are you gonna partner with us Daryl?!" An excited little voice questioned, cutting Daryl off. He saw a little blonde haired girl push her way to the front of the kinders and firsties.

"Sophia? This is your group?" Daryl was a bit taken aback, and when she nodded her head, Daryl sighed. The old him would have laughed and said no to her question almost immediately, but now there was hesitation. He found it hard to say no, she would most likely cry again… or at least he thought she would. His answer was _no_. He would rather be with the second graders, at least they might have an idea of what 'competitive' meant. He needed to stop caring for other people's feelings and focus on his, and that was beating Ed. Before he could tell her straight up _no_ , an idea popped into his mind. ' _I'll just say we're looking for another group… yeah let her off easy.'_ He noted to himself. As he looked back down to her, he was distracted by her big hopeful brown eyes. "Yes." He couldn't even hear his own answer since the sound of blood pumping through his head caused him temporary hearing loss but the way all the little ones clapped and jumped in excitement gave him a clue as to what his answer was.

"Oh that's sooo great!" Maggie said, looking just as excited as the little kids. "Guys." Maggie looked at her group as they all came forward assuming Maggie would introduce the little ones to them. "This is my baby sister Beth." She grabbed the shoulder of another little blonde haired girl who looked shy with pink rosy cheeks.

"Hi everybody." Beth replied in a soft soprano tone with a clear country accent.

"While the two groups get acquainted the four of us leaders will go find out what game you'll have to play." Tyreese said to the kids.

Maggie smiled, "Beth, introduce your friends." She gently nudged her sister.

Now Beth's face lit up. "Okay! This is my friend Zach." Beth started, as she patted the boy with blonde hair on the shoulder. "Maggie can you be my partner?" Beth questioned.

It took a second for what Beth said to click. "Oh, right we have to pair in fours. Okay lets make pairs as we go… if that's alright with you Daryl."

Daryl, who was barely paying attention because he was caught up in wondering how he could have said yes, turned to her with a shrug. "Sounds good." He honestly didn't know what he was agreeing with but he trusted Maggie so he felt somewhat comfortable.

"Great. Beth, you and Zach are with me and Glenn."

"Yay!" Beth cheered then turned to another one of her teammates. "This is Sam. He's a little quiet." She said the last part in a whisper though little Sam still heard as his cheeks went a light shade of red. "And I think y'all met her already but this is Sophia!"

Carol finally got a good look at the two kids that were just introduced. They were so cute and she fell in love with their little faces immediately. "I'll be their buddy." Carol spoke up.

Daryl glanced to the kids, it was Sophia of course he was going to be the other buddy. "Yeah, me too." The fact that Carol was going to be the other older buddy didn't have anything to do with his answer... things just happened that way sometimes.

"Okay. Go on Beth." Maggie said.

"This is Andre-" Beth introduced.

"I'll take him." Michonne cut in with a rush. The little boy was just too adorable to pass up.

Beth smiled. "Okay, and this is Lizzie."

This time Tara cut in saying she wanted Lizzie as her buddy. The second Tara saw the little girl and how she looked like she was a professional at mugging others, she knew it would be a perfect match. "Then me and Michonne should be partners." Tara suggested. The others agreed and Beth went on to introduce the others.

Beth scooted past the teammates that she already introduced and made her way to a little boy and little girl who stood side by side and looked very similar. "This is Carl and Judith… they're twins!" Beth exclaimed.

Rick smiled at them. "They're cute." He said as he turned to the closest person to him which happened to be Lori and she agreed.

"Look at those blue eyes!" Lori cooed as she knelt down and playfully poked little Judith's belly. "You are so pretty."

"Thank you." The little girl smiled sweetly.

Beth moved on to the last two kids. "This is Patrick and Mika… Mika is Lizzie's sister." She explained as the two waved.

Kelly smiled. It was obvious that these two kids were going to be her younger buddies and that was all good. What she dreaded was that Shane was going to her buddy as well. "I guess that means they're mine!" Kelly said excitedly as she went over to the two.

"And so it begins." Abe said nervously.

 _ **Summer…Summer...Summer**_

It was time. The games were starting and the buddy system was working rather well. The older ones kept an eye out for their two little ones, while they got ready. The game they were to be playing was Capture the Flag. As Rick and the others helped the little ones understand the game, they saw their rival team walking on the other side of the field.

"Great." Kelly sighed as she pulled Patrick and Mika closer to her.

Shane looked to see what Kelly was glaring at. "Guys." He waved over Rick, Glenn, and Daryl. "How we gonna go about this?"

Rick looked around. "What do you mean?"

"I don't wanna curse in front of kids." Shane gestured to the little ones while the other two boys appeared shocked. Rick already knew Shane didn't swear in front of kids because he was always mindful of his language when he was around Rick's younger brother. "Hey, even I have my limits." Shane said in his defense.

"Alright. If they curse at us then we just show them who's the bigger person." Glenn explained.

Daryl nodded. "These kids," He stopped himself and swallowed hard. "They are apart of us, apart of our team now. We're their example." Those words stung for some reason… it's like, he really meant what he said. "From what I can tell, the older ones aren't the problem. It's Ed we needa watch." He grunted.

Rick nodded. "Look, this might not be all that bad." When the three gave him questionable looks, he continued. "Look at them, they're small. They could run through the tight places if the bigger kids are heading their way. We got some advantage." He finished with a smile.

Daryl thought about that for a moment. "You gonna teach them then? Tell them how it's gonna be?"

Rick scratched his brow. "I was thinkin' you could. You seem good with kids." The next moment was a blur to Rick as he began to pick himself off the ground. "You pushed me?" Rick said in disbelief and dusted his shoulders off.

Daryl held back a satisfied chuckle. He proved to himself that he was still able to make irrational and completely unreasonable choices, he wasn't all gone… yet. "Damn right I did. You gonna talk to the kids now?" Daryl asked with a husky voice.

Rick shook his head in defeat. "Come on over guys." He waved to the rest of them.

"What is it Rick?" Lori questioned. Both of her hands we're busy, holding little Carl's and Judith's hands in each of hers.

"This is for you little guys." Rick knelt down as they all rushed to stand in front of him.

"Are you giving us a mission?!" The little boy, Andre, excitedly questioned.

Rick was about to say no, but then an idea came to mind. "Yes, and it's a very important one." He put on his serious face and kept his southern tone steady. "Will you promise me you can complete this mission?"

"We won't let you down Mr. Rick!" Carl spoke up. "What's the mission?" Rick flashed him a smile, the little boy had such determination in his eyes.

"You see those flags that are in the center of the field? There are four of them. Daryl, Glenn, Shane, and I will grab them and secretly pass it to one of you little guys without the other team knowing. If you are one of the four that we _secretly_ pass the flag to, your mission is to run as _fast_ as you can and get it in the colorful hula hoops on the other side. The older girls," Rick turned to Michonne, Lori, Kelly, Carol, Maggie, and Tara. "Will be blocking our hula hoops." He explained. The little kids seemed to hang on to every word he spoke.

"You want us to go to the dangerous side?" Sophia questioned with a little pout. "Those kids are really big, and they look evil." She pointed out.

"Yeah, they could hurt us. Kill us even!" The little boy named Zach spoke up.

"They don't look like they wanna be our friends." Beth's big blue eyes widened even more as she tugged on Maggie's shirt. "Are they gonna hurt us?"

"If they try, I'll hurt them." Maggie assured, as she knelt down and pulled her little sister closer. "You don't got nothin' to worry about. Daryl, Glenn, Shane and Rick will keep you all safe." Maggie assured looking to the guys with a brow raised as they all quickly nodded.

"Stay close." Shane added. "A good way we could confuse them is to make it look like we are all carrying a flag." He explained kneeling down as well to get to the kids' level.

"How?" Lizzie questioned.

"Copy me." Shane said as he folded his arms in front of his chest and kept his hands tucked in. The little ones did the same. "Good, now, bend your back foward a little." Again he demonstrated as they did the same. "There. Keep it like that, have your head up, and run till you and the flag you're hiding in your arms are in the center of the hula hoop. Sound good?"

"Yeah, but… Miss Sasha and Mr. Tye, told us not to run with our hands tucked in." Little Judith pointed out. "They say it's not safe." Her wide blue eyes showed concern.

Shane turned to Rick and nudged him and after a moment Rick finally spoke up. "Right, that's very important and you should always listen to your elders." He trailed off. He looked up and pleaded with his eyes for one of the girls to step in and explain why this time was the only exception but the six older girls just looked too amused at watching how the boys were handling things with the little ones. Rick cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak but the voice that spoke was not his.

"Different people have different rules." Glenn explained. "When you're around us you can run like that but when you are around Miss Sasha and Mr. Tye, you can't. Make sense?" Glenn cringed.

"I guess." Judith shrugged.

"Glad that's settled!" Shane smiled and rubbed his hands together.

Everyone shared a smile before they spent a few more moments explaining the game. It wasn't long before the other team decided to make their presence known.

"Well if it isn't the Brady Bunch." Ed Peletier said as he walked closer with a few of his own teammates behind him. "Look how adorable they look, and I'm not talkin' 'bout the kinders and firsties." A vicious smile grew on his face.

"Go away Ed." Lori said in a bored tone.

"Just a sec, honey." He assured, causing Lori to almost gag. "I came to see Carol, wanna let her know something." He explained.

Carol raised a brow. "Yeah? Make it quick." She said, surprised at how steady her voice was.

"It's not too late to switch teams. You could be a winner, more importantly away from that weirdo." Ed glanced over to Daryl.

Daryl took a step forward before he felt Carol's arm come across his chest, stopping him from going any further. "Ed, Daryl is my friend. All of them are my friends. I won't leave them." She said walking closer to him and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "But I'll keep that in mind." She gave Ed a smile before she bit her bottom lip which made Daryl's heart stop.

Was she flirting with him? 'Cause Daryl was really confused. Wasn't she creeped out by him? When Ed smiled back at her and willingly left - not even spouting another insult at anyone - Daryl grunted. "What the hell was that? I thought you couldn't stand him!" He huffed.

Carol concealed a smile as she shrugged. Now she knew what Maggie was talking about when she told her about how Glenn was always defending her. Daryl might just commit murder and be sentenced to life in prison… but maybe Abraham would help him hide Ed's body.

"Wow!" Mika exclaimed. "Being a teen sounds like fun!"

"Oh yeah, it's a blast." Tara sighed.

As both teams lined up in the center facing each other, the juniors seemed a bit weary. Kelly and Lori had stayed back to protect one goal, while Maggie and Carol stayed at the second one, placing Michonne and Tara at their own goal to protect. All the rest of them were lined in the center, putting on their best mug, and surprisingly the Kindergartners had the meanest muggs on the field. The eight leaders were on the side of the field anxiously waiting and watching… well all but Abraham. He felt sick, as he held his hands over his eyes, only taking a peek here and there to see the kids getting ready.

The whistle blew and all went into action. Rick was one of the first to grab a flag but he stayed on his side of the field, since that was his safe zone. He looked around to the little ones who seem to have aborted the mission and ran wild. For a brief second he was disappointed before he realized how they were running. Their arms were folded across their chests with their hands tucked in and their backs were bent. They were creating a distraction. He saw Daryl running full speed with little Andre and Zach close behind.

Daryl managed to dodge a big junior who seemed to be flying towards him, and jumped over Ed - who had leaped forward to try and tackle him. It seemed that everyone was trying to get Daryl, and soon enough they had trapped him in a circle. One of the bigger guys tagged Daryl, well, more pushed him than tagged him.

"Hand it over." The soon-to-be senior said in a snarky voice that would have made any other soon-to-be sophomore pee their pants but it didn't seem to faze Daryl.

"I would but I ain't got nothin' to hand over." Daryl growled as a smile grew. He bit back a laugh as he unfolded his arms to show that he wasn't carrying a flag.

For a moment there, everyone was confused… then they heard high pitched squeals coming from the far side of the field. They turned just in time to see Zach and Andre do a chest-bump and a small victory dance. They had gotten the first flag of the game in the goal.

"Mother dick." Abraham muttered. "Holy- did you see that Rosita!?" He questioned as he clapped his hands.

"Yes, Abe, I'm standing right here." She chuckled, too shocked to even believe her own eyes.

"They had it this whole time?!" Aiden asked in disbelief.

When they turned back to face Daryl he wasn't standing in his spot. "He's getting away!" Pete pointed with his finger to Daryl who was sprinting to his side of the field, they all began to run after him once again.

Glenn was given a flag that Rick had handed him. He ran alongside little Judith, who was surprisingly keeping up. They both had their hands tucked as they kept their eyes on their goal, but it seemed the juniors had caught on to their little charades. A junior boy was hot on their tale and quickly tagged Judith, who ended up tumbling over and began to cry on the ground.

"Whose bright idea was it to have Kinders play with the older kids?" Dawn huffed. It seemed she was more mad at the fact that the game might have to end rather than because a little girl had been injured.

Glenn had kept running until he heard a cry from his little team mate. The junior that had pushed her began to go after Glenn when he realized that the little girl didn't have that flag. This made Glenn mad.

"Just keep going you're almost there!" Glenn heard Rick shout. "I got her!" Rick assured and he headed to rescue Judith.

Glenn nodded and sprinted the rest of the way until he dropped the flag in the center of the white and orange hula hoop. "Yes!" Glenn jumped throwing one fist in the air just like Bender from his favorite movie Breakfast Club.

"You okay?" Rick knelt down and helped Judith stand.

She wiped some tears off her face and shook her head. "That hurt Mr. Rick." Her bottom lip quivered.

"I'm sorry. What hurts?" He asked in a soft tone. His awkwardness turned to worry, she just reminded him so much of his little brother with those ocean blue eyes.

She lifted a pant leg to show a dark purple color forming on her knee. "Oh no! I'm turning purple… I don't like the color purple!" She gasped as more tears filled her eyes.

Rick fought back his smile. "Come on! I have a friend who's eye started turning purple, but she found a way to get rid of it, 'cause she didn't like purple all that much either." He held a hand out to her.

Judith still looked a bit weary. "Will she tell me how to stop my purple from spreading… and hurting?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, she'll tell you how to get rid of your 'purple'." Now she took his hand and they began to run to their side of the field.

"Tara! On your right!" Michonne pointed to the person who had a flag and was running to the goal that Tara was defending.

Quickly, Tara planted her feet in the ground and stared at the sprinting junior girl who seemed to be charging at Tara full speed. In Tara's mind all she saw was Dawn coming at her, and she felt her muscles tensed up. She began to run towards the junior but she abruptly stopped, got on her knees and curled in a ball. Michonne's eyeballs almost popped out of their eye sockets at the sight of this. What the hell was Tara doing? Even the junior who was running toward Tara stopped in confusion. As if it was perfectly planned little Lizzie swooped in stepping on Tara's back and snatched the flag out of the shocked junior's hands and sped off. Tara just rolled over on her back and began to laugh.

"Hurry Lizzie! Don't stop!" Tara encouraged.

Abraham cheered as he watched Lizzie dodging the big kids, even causing Gabriel and Nick to bump heads when they both leaped at the same time to tag her. She was so close to the hula hoop as she heard her team cheer for her. Quickly she took a glance back only to tumble on her own feet. Her competitors were approaching fast and they looked scary, but she wasn't going to give up. Immediately she began to crawl on her hands and knees with the flag bunched up in her fist as she swiftly threw the flag into the center of the hula hoop and no longer than a second later she felt a hand on her back.

"I did it! I beat you!" She stuck her tongue out and wiggled it at her competitor, before running off.

"Okay I'm back!" Kelly said running up to Shane and Lori.

"Back? Where did you go?!" Shane questioned still keeping an eye on his surroundings.

"Judith got hurt, Rosita and I took her to get ice." She explained.

"What?!" Lori gasped. "I'm gonna go check on her, thanks for helping her Kelly!" Lori thanked, as she headed to the side of the field.

"What know?" Kelly looked at Shane.

"There's only one flag left." Shane stated.

Kelly nodded then panned over the field in search of the person who carried the flag. "The other team has it then?"

Shane shook his head as he leaned towards her. "I gave it to Beth like ten minutes ago." He explained.

Kelly looked over at Beth. "Wow, it's like she doesn't even have it." Kelly said impressed.

"She probably doesn't have it. She and Carl keep passing it back and forth between each other." Kelly smiled at that.

"Well let's make a distraction for them." Kelly shrugged.

"Like?" Shane raised a brow.

"I don't know. Just follow my lead." She said low key. Again she looked around to see what the others were doing. They all seemed to be looking for the person who had the flag as well. "Shane!" Kelly shouted in an angry tone that caused mostly everyone to look her way even the leaders and referee. "Shane what the hell!" Again she shouted which even made Shane believe her tone.

"What's the problem?" Carol walked closer.

"Shane hide the flag in one of our guy's back pockets." She stated and gave an unnoticeable look to Beth, who gave a small nod.

Both Beth and Carl slowly began to move towards the only hula hoop that didn't have a flag. Both teams still had their attention on Kelly and Shane, and thankfully the 'evil people' - as Sophia had referred to the other team - had their backs towards Beth and Carl. They started to speed up when they gave Kelly a nod, that was their cue and they knew it. They were going to deliver the flag and complete the mission.

"I don't have it." Maggie stated after feeling her back pockets.

"Me either." Glenn said.

"Nope. Not there." Sophia stated as she even checked her front pockets.

Kelly noticed that Beth and Carl had gotten far enough and she couldn't make it look like she purposely made a distraction. "Hmm, maybe he didn't." Kelly shrugged.

"That's what I've been tryna tell ya." Shane started in but Kelly quickly shook her head. His acting was horrible.

Ed huffed as he turned to the side, right as his noticed two figures run past from the corner of his eye. "There! Get them!"

Everyone charged at the two little kids. Rick and Michonne ran too, to see if they could try and block some of the others. Everything was happening so fast and all the leaders were shouting. Half of the leaders were cheering the two little ones on and the other half were telling their team to catch up and tag the little ones.

It seemed that history had repeated itself. This time Gareth caught up to little Beth but before he could tag her he stepped on the back of her shoe causing her to fly forward landing on her face. Again once he realized she wasn't the one who carried the flag he started after the boy.

Carl was too fast though. Amazingly he had picked up his pace. He could hear a stampede of people after him which made him kinda scared but the mission was up to him and Beth. He had finally stepped into the hula hoop and slapped the flag down then looked up.

"Mission complete!" The boy smiled only to see devastated faces looking back at him but then he could hear his team cheering as his leaders and his older teammates leaders clapped as they cheered his name… but he didn't get it. Beth helped him. Why weren't they cheering her name? How come she wasn't standing next to him? Where was she? He frantically looked for her before he noticed her on the ground. "Beth!" He ran to her.

"Oh my! Beth is hurt!" Sasha said running onto the field with the other seven leaders right behind her.

"Beth? Beth are you sleeping?" Carl shook her shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Carol asked walking closer to where Glenn and Maggie were, but they just shrugged.

Daryl walked slowly forward to see if he could get a better view of the other side of the field where the leaders were rushing to. That's when he noticed someone lying down on the ground and this someone was too tiny to be an eighth grader, freshman, sophomore, or junior and the hair color reminded him too much of Maggie's little sister. "Beth!" Daryl shouted over to Maggie as they all took off running over to the other side.

"Beth!" Maggie called out once she reached her sister and pulled her onto her lap. "Beth, come on now." She shook her sister a little as she wiped some mud of the little one's face little face.

Beth slowly began to open her eyes and when she saw her older sister she smiled, "Is the mission complete?" She drowsily asked.

Maggie smiled and felt more relaxed. "Yes, the mission is complete."

"I think she hit her head but she is gonna be just fine." Sasha assured.

"Ohh gosh!" Judith gasped as she pushed past some tall kids. "She is getting purples!"

Maggie furrowed her brow and was about to question what the hell was 'purples' when Kelly spoke up. "Yeah, but remember how we get rid of purples?"

"Ice." Judith said with confidence.

"Would you like to help me get some ice for Beth?" Lori asked Judith.

"Can I?!" Judith responded excitedly.

Lori smiled, "Come on." She held out her hand and the two headed off to the cafeteria to get ice.

"See this is why the young ones shouldn't play with the big ones." Dawn said in a relaxed but annoyed tone.

"She tripped. It could have happened even if she was playing with kids her age." Sasha argued.

"Yeah. Just seems like you guys keep knocking our kids down." Shane turned towards Gareth.

"You accusing me of something?" The boy raised a brow.

"Things just seem to add up that way." Shane stepped closer.

Maggie got up and walked over to the guys. "Shane-"

"No. Maggie. This guy knew what he was doing." Shane argued.

"You're right." Maggie assured then turned to Gareth. "You are nothing but a low-life loser." She said in a low tone; so that the leaders, the little kids, and the juniors - who were already walking off the field, still trying to figure out how they lost to a bunch of kindergartners - couldn't hear her voice. "Next time you won't be so lucky. And let me tell you now, Shane should be the least of your worries. My daddy taught me how to skin a pig and right now I'm looking at one. Watch your back." She dropped her finger that she had pointed at him and walked back over to Beth, leaving everyone dumbfounded and those on the other team slightly shaky.

Daryl couldn't help but smile, "I'd be scared of her." Great, now he was fearing country girls, and he had just admitted that out loud to everyone.

* * *

 _ **There it is! I did change the rules of Capture the Flag just a little to make it feel a little bit safer for the 'baby-squad'. I hope you enjoyed! Lets just say in the next chapter, the boys start to plan out something... special... for the girls. We'll also get to find out which boy will ask a certain girl to be his girlfriend! Who do you think will ask who out next chapter?!**_

 _ **Review. Follow. Favorite.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	8. Chapter 7: I Declare War

_**Hey look who's back ;). Alright I'mma start pumping out chapters for you all. I hope some of the events don't seem too rushed in this chapter, but they're teens so . . . that's all I have to say. :). Hope you enjoy and remember leave a review. Tell me what you guys want to see more of so I can give it to you all.**_ _ **Again Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: I Declare War**

The cafeteria was louder than ever that evening. New friends and rivals had been made and kids sat in bigger groups than before. Unlike the first day, Daryl and Kelly actually knew who they would be sitting with or at least they thought they did. When they took a seat, Maggie walked over with Beth and asked if they could eat 'supper' with them. After Daryl asked what 'supper' meant and Maggie explained that supper was just another word to call dinner, Kelly told her they would be more than happy if she and Beth joined them. Carol and Michonne came later because they had offered to put the flags and hula hoops back after their battle of Capture the Flag.

"What took so long?" Maggie questioned the two girls who had sat on one side of Kelly.

"Ms. Lerner made us put the equipment in the farthest supply room from the cafeteria." Carol said before poking a hole in her juice box with her straw and taking a sip.

Michonne glanced at Carol with a raised brow. "That's all you're gonna tell them?" A small smile grew across her lips.

"I don't think there's anything else that is worth saying." Carol shrugged as she took another sip of her juice box, this time more dramatic than the last.

"Depends on what happened." Daryl shrugged. The two were acting a little strange but maybe that was just how girls acted, always going around and around a subject but never literally talking about it.

"Give it up guys." Kelly started in. "What did you two see?"

"More like what did _I_ see." Again Michonne smiled. "Ed and Carol were flirting, big time." Michonne's cheerful mood died when her eyes landed on Daryl, who seemed to be in deep thought with a murderous look plastered on his face. Slowly Michonne looked at Kelly who was cringing. Did Kelly know Daryl liked Carol and not tell her? Why was she always the last to know things?

Carol had just rolled her eyes and turned to Beth who sat on the other side of her. "How's your lip? Looks like it's getting better."

Beth smiled as best she could. "Yeah, Maggie says it will be better in a day or two!" She said excitedly.

Kelly smiled. She always wondered how it would be to have a younger sibling or even an older sibling for that matter. "You have the best big sister ever! Do you know that?" Kelly asked in a gentle tone.

Beth again smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. She protects me." Beth smiled up at her sister before going back to her supper.

"That's sweet, really." Maggie blushed. "So, tomorrow there are no games. What do ya'll wanna do?"

Carol shrugged. "Don't know… maybe we should wait till the whole group is together before we make plans."

"Actually, we don't." Michonne said as she turned to look at a certain someone at their table.

"What?" Daryl questioned not taking her hint.

"Daryl!" Michonne sighed, "In the end, you are the one who has the final say."

"Oh, right." Daryl nodded.

"Sooo, we have to do something as a team. How about we go by the lake!" Again Michonne hinted - making it a little bit more obvious this time.

Daryl shrugged, "If that's what you want to do."

Kelly could see that Daryl was some-what zoned out but she didn't know what was troubling him. "You okay?" She asked low key.

"Just peachy." He assured but he didn't even believe himself. He was using words like peachy. He truly didn't know what was troubling him either. His heart some-what ached and he felt out of place. Was he heart broken? Naw, he guessed it was just the nasty food that the cafeteria served.

There was a few moments of awkward silence before Maggie looked around the cafeteria. "Where's Glenn? I didn't see him in here earlier at breakfast or yesterday night at dinner." She mentioned as the others looked around as well.

"Hmm. Don't see him, but you know Glenn. He is good at fading into the background." Carol shrugged.

Maggie lifted a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" Not even Maggie knew why she was being so defensive at that moment.

Carol furrowed a brow. "Well… uh… mm-"

"Glenn always talked about how he would hide from his sisters." Daryl started in. Like he said earlier, he was afraid of Maggie when she got vicious. "Even said how he went a whole day - no food, no water - until they finally found him." Daryl added.

"Right." Maggie sighed with a smile. She needed to do a better job at keeping her true feelings in. "Beth what are you planning to do tomorrow?" She changed the subject.

"Miss Sasha said she has the whole day planned… but I don't think she was telling the truth." Beth pouted.

"Well, why do you say that? Michonne asked.

"Because when Miss Sasha said she had the day planned, Mr. Tye started to say something but then Miss Sasha elbowed him in the stomach." Beth explained as she took another bite of her chicken nugget.

Michonne just smiled. "Is that right?" She lightly chuckled.

"No, I think it was wrong. Siblings shouldn't hit each other." Beth said, taking Michonne's rhetorical question for an actual question.

The four teen girls laughed. "You're right. Siblings shouldn't hit each other." Maggie couldn't help but smile at her little sister.

Daryl took a longer moment to think about what Beth said. Siblings _shouldn't_ hit each other and he was glad that Merle had never laid a hand on him, unfortunately he couldn't say the same for his father. That's why Merle was now his legal guardian. He was enjoying eating with his lunch group, sure it was all girls, but once he was familiar with them he found it easier to talk. He snapped out of his thoughts when a voice he knew like the back of his hand called out for him.

"Daryl, Daryl, Daryl."

"Hey Sophia." He began to smile but quickly cleared his throat and straightened his face.

She smiled and leaned into him. "Remember what you told me the other day?" She asked, almost embarrassed, but smiled and waved to Beth when her big almond eyes landed on her friend. "So do you?" Again she asked.

Daryl thought back to a day ago. "The mountains. That it?" When Sophia nodded, Daryl remembered what he had told her; that his group and her group would go to the top of it. "Does tomorrow sound good?"

Her eyes brightened, "Yes! That sounds great! Thank-you, Daryl! You're the best!" She squealed.

"What sounds great?" Beth got up and walked to the trash can that was only two feet away and disposed of her leftover food. She set her tray on top of it and then made her way back to sit closer to where Sophia was.

"We're gonna go on top of the big hill tomorrow!" Both girls now jumped in excitement at the prospect of reaching the sky.

"Mountain." Kelly correct as everyone turned to her. "Sophia said hill- never mind." She shook her head.

"Mountain? _The_ mountain that I said I never wanted to climb again?" Michonne questioned.

Daryl turned to her, "Hey. What did you say? Something along the lines of... at the end of the day I have the final say." Michonne just rolled her eyes with a head shake.

Carol laughed at how the little girls began to plan out everything. "Maybe it won't be that bad. We'll just have to keep an extra close eye on you Daryl." She smiled while teasingly raising a brow then slightly dropped it.

Daryl nodded and couldn't find the will to take his eyes off hers. He liked when they held each other's gaze and each time they did he'd notice more details in her blue eyes. This time he noticed how it was a lighter shade on the inside and dark on the outside. He also noticed how fast he was falling for her, like a meteor falling into the Earth's atmosphere and all he could do was brace himself for the impact… but he guessed she didn't feel the same. It looked like she would rather be with Ed. He wasn't all that shocked. What beautiful girl, like herself, would want to go out with a guy like him... unless they were bat shit crazy but Carol was absolutely brilliant. Should he just give up?

 _ **Summer…Summer…Summer**_

Dinner was over and Glenn threw himself on the floor of the boys cabin as he let out a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "Any of you guys hungry?" He sighed.

Rick glanced over to Shane, who shared the same confused expression. "We just had dinner." Rick said as he sat on the bottom bunk of his and Shane's bunk bed and kept his eyes on a very exhausted looking Glenn.

"Right." Glenn sat up.

"You still hungry?" Shane questioned as he unfolded his jacket that he had been holding _extra_ carefully, only to reveal a sandwich that had been nicely wrapped in a napkin and a juice box. "Here, take it." He handed it over to the hungry Glenn.

"Nobody's gonna ask why he had that in his jacket?" Daryl spoke up after watching that whole transaction.

"Was that like a snack for you to eat later or something?" Rick raised a brow.

"No. I took it because I was going to prank the girls." Shane explained.

Glenn grimaced. "What were you planning on doing?" He asked with a mouth full of food.

"Since it's a tuna sandwich I was gonna go to their cabin and sneak it in there while they were sleeping."

"Then what?" Daryl questioned.

"Leave it in there, then in the morning their cabin would smell bad." Shane shrugged. "But it was a weak plan to begin with."

"Yeah it wasn't that well thought out." Rick agreed.

"What wasn't that well thought out?" Abraham asked, walking into the cabin.

"Shane's plan to prank the girls." Daryl stated as he laid back on his 'claimed' bed and shut his eyes.

Abraham shook his head, "I need to stop leaving you guys in here alone. Shane always gets to the important things before I do." He sighed. "Let's hear it."

"I'd rather not." Shane refused.

Abraham looked over to Daryl, who was now sitting up, and gave him a nod. "His plan was to put a tuna sandwich in the girls cabin." Daryl answered.

Abraham lifted a brow. "That tuna sandwich?" He pointed to where Glenn was on the floor eating.

Shane huffed. "You gonna help us?"

"It'd be a crime if I didn't." Abraham assured.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

It was bright and early the next morning and the boys had just been informed that they would be going on the same hike that they thought they lost Daryl on. Rick, Shane, and Glenn weren't all that happy but then again there was no point in arguing. Daryl had the final say and that was that… but then the three guys found out the little ones were coming with, and then they tried to object but Daryl overruled them.

Rick was kinda looking forward to this hike. He didn't know how but he was going to talk to Michonne. Summer only lasted so long and he needed to make sure he didn't waste it. He was still confused on how he felt about her. He wouldn't call it love… it couldn't be. He didn't really know her after all, but that's probably because he couldn't find the guts to even hold a conversation with her. He didn't care if he made a fool of himself. He _was_ going to talk to her on this hike, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Morning." Carol smiled at the boys, who all looked dead tired.

"Why are we up so early?" Shane asked through a jaw-cracking yawn.

Tara's mouth fell open, "It's eight in the morning. How late did you guys get to bed?"

"Pretty late, we stayed up plan-"

"Playing!" Abraham cut Glenn off. "We were throwing a football around, that's all." He added nervously.

Glenn nodded, "Yeah. Football." He anxiously nodded.

Rosita raised a brow. "Okay..." She said with a bit of hesitation. "Sasha said she is helping the kids get ready. They're gonna be here pretty soon."

"Oh. Okay, cool." Abe nodded.

For the next ten minutes the girls waited excitedly for the little ones while the boys waited impatiently. The few times Tara looked over to the boys it seemed they were in deep thought. Rick had his brow furrowed as he anxiously tapped his foot. Daryl was pacing back and forth, glancing at Carol when she wasn't looking. Shane looked like he was making a 'game plan' only glancing at Kelly when she _was_ looking, giving her a nod as he licked his lips. Glenn looked rather calm… tired, but calm. He did seem a bit anxious, like something big was going to happen but then again all the boys seemed that way today. Something big was going to happen and Tara had a need to know what that was.

Once the little ones arrived everyone found themselves at the beginning of the long trail to the top of the mountain. Rosita kept an extra eye on everyone as she held a nice conversation with Abraham. The little kids were paired with one of the older kids to make sure nobody got lost. Sophia made it a point for Daryl to be her partner; she knew that he knew what he was doing. Everyone seemed to be quiet for sometime except the adults… and the little ones, so really it was just the teens keeping quiet.

Michonne had enjoyed looking at all the sights as did the rest of them. She was able to snap a few pics of the serene moments, seeing as her mother made it a point to pack the new blue polaroid camera that she got for her birthday.

Rick kept a few feet behind her, not even paying attention to all the muttering Shane was doing. He had no idea how to approach her… then she took out a camera. _Maybe she likes photography._ He thought to himself. Rick patted Shane's back and walked a little faster to match her speed.

"Hey." Michonne smiled at him but it quickly faded when she saw how nervous Rick looked. "Goodness, did we lose someone already?" She asked as she frantically looked around.

"No, no! Nothing like that." He forced a light chuckle, praying it would calm his nerves.

"Good." She sighed. "This week's been pretty crazy, hasn't it?"

Rick nodded while keeping his eyes on her, watching as she looked around at all the nature in awe. "Yeah. Didn't think I'd be on a mountain, looking at the _most_ prettiest view." When Michonne looked at him, she noticed that he wasn't looking at the trees or flowers they walked by. He just kept his piercing blue eyes on her.

Slightly dropping her mouth, she turned back to the plants. "You're good Grimes." She said as she snapped a photo of weird looking trees then turned back to Rick as she took out the photo and passed it to him.

He smiled and took the picture. "No, you're good Lewis. This is a good photo, Michonne. Is this a hobby of yours?" He questioned.

Michonne raised a brow. "Hmm, I wouldn't say it's a hobby. I don't do it often but I guess I do enjoy taking pictures." She shrugged.

"I think you're really talented." He offered.

"You think so?" Michonne couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, and you're really smart too." Rick added feeling less nervous than before.

"Keep going." She teased.

"You are really, _really,_ pretty. And I'm looking forward to getting to know you more." She was shocked at his boldness and now she felt like the nervous one.

"Yeah?" She hesitantly questioned.

"Yeah." He assured.

It fell silent between the two for a few moments. It was awkward for Michonne, where was she supposed to go from there? "Rick."

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna enjoy getting to know you more as well." A lot had gone through her mind. For one, there was still the fact that Lori really liked Rick. For two, _now_ she really liked Rick. If only she knew how to deal with this. Maybe being just friends was the right option… but then again Rick seemed interested in her, or maybe she got it all wrong. Maybe he was just being nice. She couldn't tell. She was going to need to talk to Rosita about this but maybe she should conduct her own experiment first. "Rick, from what I can tell, you're a good person." She smiled before adding, "I know you're gonna be a good _friend._ "

This was the first time Rick took his eyes off her, as he lowered his gaze to the ground, " _Friend_? Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'll be there for you Michonne… and this team too, of course." He assured. It was clear she was trying to let him down easy and it hurt him more than he thought it would.

' _Okay, well, his response must mean something. Right?'_ Michonne questioned herself, still studying the boy beside her.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"And then Daryl and I saw a deer and a fawn!" Sophia explained to her friends.

"Fawn?" Carl questioned.

"Baby deer." Sophia answered then looked at a bush. "Daryl says this is poisonous. Right Daryl?"

"Right." Daryl walked in front of the kids to make sure they didn't touch it. "Poison oak. Makes you itchy." He explained. ' _Itchy? Really? You couldn't have just said itch?'_ He cursed himself.

"Like the chicken pox?" Little Patrick asked.

"Like the chicken pox." Daryl nodded. "Over here you got a lavender bush."

Carol and Kelly stayed close to listen to all that Daryl was saying but then something caught Carol's eye. "Look," She whispered to Kelly, "wild berries." Carol knelt down and reached out to pick a couple.

Daryl - who was answering the many questions little Lizzie asked - took a glance at Carol. She was near a bush that Daryl made sure not to let any of the kids get near. He saw what she was reaching for and his eyes almost popped out of his head. "Carol! No!" Daryl called out. Running over, he grabbed her around the waist and turned her around in his arms so that she was facing him.

"What?" Carol asked suddenly very alert. Daryl sounded panicked which had her worried… yet she couldn't help but internally blush at the fact that Daryl had his arms wrapped around her. Carol slightly shook her head as she focused on what Daryl was saying.

"Did you eat one?" A second barely passed before he asked the same thing. "Carol! Did you eat one?!" He was trying to be calm but he had never felt so worried in his life before.

"No… no, I didn't eat one." She assured.

Now Daryl could feel his sense of mind coming back. "Okay, good." He took a deep breath… and realized he was still holding her. _Oh shit._ Daryl quickly let go and took a step back, he could already feel the heat on the back of his neck. Looking down, Daryl quickly started talking so that he didn't look like an even bigger idiot in front of Carol. "These are nightshade berries. You can tell because the purple flower petals on them point backwards and they have yellow in the middle. Also the berries are red when they're ripe, like they are now, green when they're not." Daryl knelt next to the untamed bush to point this out. "They're poisonous to eat and to touch." He stated taking a quick glance back at Carol with a raised brow, as if to ask if she touched them to which she quickly shook her head no.

"Well it's a good thing that I don't like berries!" Kelly exclaimed, reminding them that she was near it too.

Carol blushed. Daryl seemed so worried and she thought it was cute how he tried to make it go unnoticed. "Thank you!" She said sincerely. "Sure know a lot about this Daryl." Carol smiled. "You think you could give us a few more tips?"

Daryl nodded, flashing a quick half smile. "Yeah. Um… this is a bramble bush." He began to walk higher up the mountain. "The flowers are pink here, but sometimes they're white, and later in the month they'll turn into berries too... but for now they're just flowers." He picked a few off and passed them to the little girls, who all awed at the pretty color.

Kelly smiled at that before leaning closer to Carol. "Wow, you go some tough competition." She whispered.

"Shh." Carol hushed with a smile as she turned back, only to see Daryl glaring at Kelly... apparently Kelly was louder than she thought.

Daryl huffed and shook off the stinging at the back of his neck.

Sparing an awkward moment Carol walked over to a bush, "I can tell you all what this one is."

"Yeah?" Daryl hid a smile and walked a little closer with the ten young ones close behind. "I bet one of the kinders could too but lets hear it." He gestured for her to explain.

"It's a classic red rose bush." She stated.

"Yeah." Daryl confirmed. But that was way too easy so he thought he should test her. "And what does the red rose stand for?" Daryl questioned.

"Stands for love." Carol stated then turned to look at him for confirmation - which she really didn't need.

Daryl nodded and walked over to where she stood. He picked the biggest red rose he could see, being careful of the thorns. "It also stands for desire." He said looking her in the eyes as he handed the flower to her.

Carol lifted a brow as she felt her knees shake. His blue eyes keeping her trapped without knowing the way out.

"Ahem." Abraham cleared his throat after a few silent moments.

Daryl looked away from Carol to see not only Abraham, Rosita, Tyreese, and Sasha staring at him, but his teammates and the little ones were looking as well - they all seemed very amused. _What did he say that made them all act this way?_ Daryl thought back to a few moments ago. Then it hit him like a brick wall. They must've taken the way he said 'desire' wrong. This week just seemed to be filled with suicidal moments and right now was one of them. The heat at the back of his neck returned only to spread to his cheeks. He was never going to explain the meaning of a flower _ever again_ for the rest of his life. He cleared his throat. "Well, we're not gonna make it to the top if y'all just keep standing around." When he turned to lead the way he cringed. ' _God they probably think I'm some type ah creep… but not as much a creep as that punk kid, Ed.'_ Daryl huffed out a sigh.

It had taken ten minutes to finally get to the top. Ten minutes in which Daryl stayed silent for. At the top, the sight was unreal. The little kids jumped up and down in excitement and Maggie - being a child at heart - joined in on all the excitement. Michonne snapped as many pictures as she could but they weren't coming out as fast as she would have liked them too.

"Gosh, its a whole new world up here." Michonne said in awe.

"Yeah." Rick nodded.

"We so conquered this mountain." She giggled and stood with pride looking over her victory view of all that surrounded them.

"Glad we conquered it _together_." Rick offered a smile.

Michonne nodded. Before she could agree, Lori bumped into her. "Oh, sorry not sorry." Lori shrugged. "Hey Rick, come look at this!" Lori took his hand in hers and pulled him as far away from Michonne as possible.

Michonne just shook her head. ' _Honor girl code… honor girl code.'_ She repeated calmly in her head.

"You should fight for what you deserve." Tara, who had witnessed everything finally spoke, before rushing to grab Lizzie - who was standing dangerously close to the edge of the mountain top.

"Look at the lake!" Maggie pointed out to little Beth.

"Yeah! It's all sparkly… I like sparkly." She said dropping her mouth. She was in some type of trance but a pain from her tiny little fingers brought her back. "Maggie, you're holding on to me really tight." She pouted.

"Oh, sorry." Maggie released her little sister. "Look Sophia is a calling you, don't keep her waiting." Maggie nudged Beth in the direction of Sophia.

The view was amazing and the atmosphere was different. Glenn could feel it, the picture perfect moment waiting to happen. It gave him a boost, cause without it he would never do what had just came to mind. "Shane." Glenn swallowed hard. "Wish me luck."

"Wish you luck on what?" Shane lifted a brow.

"I have no idea." Glenn stated. Before he could realize it, he found himself walking towards Maggie. And all Shane could do was watch… well, he could have stopped Glenn by grabbing a hold of him… but what was the point in that?

"Glenn!" Maggie smiled, tucking a piece of her light brown hair behind her ear. "Isn't this the most prettiest sight you've ever seen?"

"Sure… I mean I guess." Glenn nodded.

"What's wrong?" Maggie furrowed a brow.

Glenn sucked in a breath. "I don't want this summer to end and me not telling you the truth." Glenn trailed off, his voice was shaky and his fingers were trembling.

Maggie couldn't feel her heart beat anymore and breathing was getting harder. Maybe it was from the high elevation. But what was Glenn saying? "So what's the truth, Glenn?" Maggie questioned.

"Being with yo-being around you, I mean." He tumbled over his words.

"So what are you saying?" Maggie's cheeks turned to a soft pink as she looked at Glenn, his ears were a bright red.

"I… I… I like you… willyoubemygirlfriend?" He finished in one short - super short - breath in which he choked over each syllable.

"What?" Maggie sincerely asked. The only thing she really heard was that he liked her which made her heart beat faster, but even that could have been mistaken for something else.

"Oh my gosh! Glenn just asked you out, Maggie!" Tiny Beth squealed, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"Beth? I thought you were with your friends." Maggie looked down at the little blond, who managed to pushed herself in between Glenn and her older sister.

"Was, but then I saw a flower by your foot and came to pick it up before I heard Glenn." Beth quickly explained as if it was only obvious. "Are you gonna say yes to Glenn?" She questioned, jumping up and down and tugging on Maggie's shirt. "Wasn't he the guy you said you thought was pretty?" Beth questioned - not noticing her sister's pink cheeks darken to a light red. "I think daddy would like him just fine, don't you think?" Beth now turned to Glenn. "I'm glad you're my sister's boyfriend, you seem nice!"

"Beth I haven't said yes." Maggie interrupted. Before Maggie knew it she could be engaged to Glenn if she didn't stop her little sister from rambling.

"So it's a no then?" Glenn looked back up to Maggie with a mortified expression.

Maggie's eyes widened. "What? No!?"

Glenn furrowed a brow. "I'm confused." He nervously started biting on his lower lip.

"Me too." Shane cut in as he walked closer to the two.

Kelly - who was pretending to watch the little kids that ran around, when in reality she was eavesdropping on Maggie and Glenn the whole time - came over. "Shane, how about we go over there with our buddies and keep an eye on them." She offered. Shane was about to refuse but then he saw the look in her eyes he nodded in agreement. "Beth wanna join us?" Kelly knelt to the smaller girl and held out a hand.

Beth sighed. "I can take a hint." She pouted in defeat, before taking Kelly's hand. "Oh wait!" Beth gasped and rushed to pull out the small daisy from the ground then handed it to Glenn before nudging her head in the direction of Maggie. Glenn smiled nervously at her and nodded. He let out a nervous chuckle when Beth winked at him but she failed completely as she ended up closing both eyes.

Kelly smiled, "Come on now." She said sweetly, holding out her hand again and Beth took it for the second time. Kelly looked over at Maggie and flashed her a smile then the three walked off leaving Glenn and Maggie standing alone.

Glenn watched them leave to join the others but he really wished they were still there. "Uh, here. This is for you... I think." He mumbled the last part and slowly passed her the white daisy.

"Thank-you." Maggie smiled and took it.

"So..." Glenn said as he started rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Glenn, I would really like that." Maggie smiled at him.

"To go out?" Glenn asked, almost disbelieving his own ears.

"Yeah." Maggie said a little less confident than the first time.

"Cool." He smiled uncontrollably.

"Cool." Maggie responded brightly, confidence returning.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"I'll lead the way." Shane assured while strapping on a back pack.

"What? No. I'm the adult, I'll lead the way." Abraham said in a hushed tone.

"Quick question." Rick cut in. "Abraham, can't you lose your job if we get caught? It's past curfew." Rick mentioned.

"That's why we don't get caught. And you just keep your mind focused on the plan." Abraham said in a rather harsh tone.

"Its 3:00 A.M. in the morning. I can barely keep my head up." Daryl grunted.

"The faster _I_ lead the way, the faster we can get back." Shane cut in.

Abraham shook his head. He did like how Shane took charge, it would be good for the games and he didn't want to ruin that. That being said, Abraham agreed, "Fine then. Lead the way, your majesty."

Shane took one step forward, looked around, then turned back toward the group. "To tell you the truth, I don't know where to go."

Glenn huffed, "I'll lead the way, seems like I'm the only one with a clear direction." He said pushing passed his leader and older teammate.

Once they approached the girls' cabin, they stealthily walked to the door with their knees bent as they crouched in a circle.

"Guys… I… I don't know if we should do this anymore." Glenn bit his lip.

"You getting cold feet?" Shane questioned in a normal tone which caused Abraham - who was on one side of Shane - and Daryl - who was on the other side - to slap the back of his head at the same time.

Glenn smirked. "Yeah and you wanna know why?" He said in a hushed tone.

"I know why." Rick smiled.

"Yeah, my girlfriend is in there." Glenn stated.

"Girlfriend? Who? Tara?" Abraham appeared shocked.

Glenn raised a brow, "No. _Maggie_."

Abraham shook his head still in shock. Not only did Glenn Rhee get a girlfriend but he got _Maggie_ … Glenn had won the bet... incredible! "Okay fine… no one pranks Maggie."

"Deal." Daryl said immediately. Gosh he really was terrified of her.

"Okay… but I still don't think I can do this." Glenn spoke up again.

"Fine… you keep watch. Let us know if anyone is coming or if one of the girls wakes up. Got it?" Shane explained.

Glenn was still weary but he nodded his head, then he turned to the door. "Who has the key?"

"Key?" Shane raised a brow and slowly turned to a particular team mate. "Why get a key when you can get a Daryl?" A sly smile grew on his face.

Daryl rolled his eyes and turned to Abraham. "For real. Where's the key?"

"For real… we don't have one." Abe answered.

"Why not?" Daryl seemed to get more and more agitated.

"'Cause that's illegal if I had a key to the girls' cabin."

"Right because breaking and entering isn't just as illegal." When the other guys gave him a questioning look, Daryl straightened up. "I just don't wanna get caught and be put into juvie for some stupid prank." He explained.

"You gonna do it or not?" Shane looked bored.

Daryl huffed. "Move outta my way." Daryl knelt in front of the door. After being handed a paper clip, Daryl bent it into a 'U' shape and within a minute the door slightly popped open. "Still got it." Daryl sighed in relief.

"Alright, lets get in and get out." Abraham whispered as he quietly walked in first.

In the entrance of the cabin there was a tiny hallway. To the right was a door that lead to where Rosita and the girls slept and straight ahead was the bathroom. Abraham motioned for Rick and Shane to go to the bathroom while he and Daryl crawled on their hands and knees to where the girls were sleeping. It was dark but Abraham had the light from his phone to help him see where he was going.

In the bathroom Rick shut the door and turned on the light. "Their bathroom is bigger than ours." Rick said looking around.

"Really… that's what you choose to notice? How about all these hair products." Shane said lifting them up and trying to read their strange labels.

"Really? I think you have the same amount of hair products." Rick pointed out.

"These curls take time." Shane said running his hand threw his thick-luscious hair. "Okay! Lets get to work, we're going to get them good!" He smiled deviously.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Rosita woke up at her usual time at five-thirty in the morning. Making her way directly to the bathroom to take a shower, she undressed and jumped in. After lathering up her hair, rinsing it, and repeating the two steps, her shower was done. Reaching for a towel, she dried herself off and dressed for the day. She moved over to the counter where her hair dryer lied and picked it up. Plugging it in, she turned it on only for white flour to shoot out and cover her head and face in the powder.

A loud scream pierced the air, causing Michonne to sit straight up in her bed. Somewhere in her mind she realized that Rosita was in trouble and quickly jumped off of the top bunk of her bed... only to unstably slip and slide in the sticky syrup that was spread around the side of her and Kelly's bunk bed. Michonne slid across the room, only stopping when she fell forward and hit her head on Lori's bunk.

Lori jerked awake when a loud thump sounded near her. "Michonne?" She questioned tiredly while rubbing her eyes and wondering why the other girl was sprawled out on the floor by her bed. "What the hell-"

"Rosita-" Michonne started only to be cut off by the same scream that woke her up.

Lori quickly got out of her bed and rushed towards the bathroom where she heard Rosita's screams. Opening the door to the bathroom she saw a huge mess. And that huge mess was Rosita. Her hair and face was covered in white powder. Her face was also covered in... peanut butter.

"Ohmygod!" Lori said in one breath. She quickly turned toward the cabinet that housed all the extra towels and towelettes so that she could help Rosita wipe away all the gunk off her face. Lori pulled open the door only to wish she hadn't. She didn't even see the pie coming that hit her square in the face. Lori let out an ear piercing scream - much louder and more shrieky than either of Rosita's.

Kelly arose from her bed, heart thumping and eyes wide as saucers. She hurriedly looked around the room and spotted Michonne _trying_ to stand. Swiftly, she swung her feet out of bed and got up. She barely took a step when she felt the restricting pressure around her feet causing her to fly forward and land face first into a puddle of sticky syrup. Picking up her head, Kelly looked down and groaned as she saw a thin piece of rope threaded loosely enough around her feet that she wouldn't have noticed but tight enough to cause her to fall. "Curse my heavy sleeping!" She mumbled through the syrup that was smeared onto her face.

A lot of commotion had gone off in the room causing Tara and Carol to wake up at the same time. Tara blearily looked around at all the commotion going on in the cabin as Carol climbed down the ladder attached to her bunk. Unfortunately for Carol, Michonne had finally gotten onto her feet when she slid once more, crashing into Carol sending her backwards. She grabbed a hold of the bunk bed hoping to stop herself from sliding along the room like Michonne must have, judging from the syrup streak marks that were spread across the room. Carol ended up saving herself from Michonne's doom but unfortunately she tripped a wire that triggered a couple of aerosol spray cans to erupt and ended up covered in red and blue spray paint.

Tara blinked slowly at all the chaos that she had just witnessed. "What the hell?!" Her yell was loud enough for Lori and Rosita to come back into the main part of the cabin - both their faces still covered in pie and peanut butter respectively.

Tara cautiously got out of bed and repeated her earlier statement.

"They booby-trapped this whole cabin!" Rosita stated angrily.

"No kidding." Michonne remarked dryly as she lifted her hand and they all saw the syrup slide off and plop onto the floor.

"Hey, you guys?" Carol frantically looked around, catching all the girls' attention. "Where's Maggie?!"

As one, they all turned towards the top bed of the shared bunk that belonged to Tara and Maggie. An arm - belonging to Maggie - was straight up in the air, fist clenched around a note. The girls all looked puzzled but Tara had been the first to move toward Maggie. She stepped up on her bed and plucked the note out of the stiff hand.

"Don't Move!" Tara read confused.

Rosita grabbed the note and let out an angry grunt.

"What?" Carol asked.

"This was Abraham and the boys!" Rosita informed them.

"How can you tell?" Tara asked.

"Because this is his terrible handwriting. And he signed it with an "A" at the bottom." Rosita said.

Tara looked down at the others before finally taking a look at Maggie. Maggie was looking up at her wide-eyed.

"Do you know how long I've been in this position?" She questioned in her heavy southern drawl.

Tara was almost afraid to answer. "Umm… no?" She flinched.

"Since four. FOUR in the morning. I've been too afraid to move!" Maggie explained.

"What were you doing up at four in the morning?" Rosita questioned.

Maggie, still not moving an inch, replied, "I'm always awake at four. It's a farm thing."

"Maggie, you can move now." Michonne informed the younger girl.

"How do I know it's safe?" Maggie protested.

"We… we can't just let them get away with this!" A hysterical Lori started in.

"No we're not! I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!" Tara assured. She stomped over to her half-opened closet door and pulled it open only for a large balloon that had been balanced on the door the whole time to come crashing down on Tara's head. She turned around to face her shocked (and scared) cabin mates. Huffing blue paint out of her mouth and pushing her drenched blue hair out of her eyes she stated, "I. Declare. WAR!"

* * *

 ** _A lot went down! How will the girls get the boys back?!_**

 ** _To the Reveiwer who asked about Morgan and Duane, they will have a part in this a little down the road ;)_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	9. Chapter 8: You Saved My Life!

**Chapter 8: You Saved My Life!**

One week had passed since the boys had pulled their malicious prank on the girls. The games were getting more challenging and the teens enjoyed trash talking their rivals. Abraham really enjoyed the trash talking too. Glenn was relieved that Maggie wasn't mad at him for the prank that his roommates had pulled on them. Their relationship was the start of something that neither had ever experienced before and Glenn still felt like it was a dream. The truth was that even though Maggie wasn't angry _at_ Glenn or any of the other guys, she had been extremely angry _about_ the boys' prank, I mean, weren't they a _team_? Shouldn't they be _watching out_ for each other and not be pulling pranks that could have seriously hurt someone? But there was no reason to be angry, especially after hearing the plan that Tara was plotting to get back at the boys. No, Maggie wasn't angry any more… she was more... afraid for guys on her team.

Secret meetings had been taking place throughout the week on what was needed for the prank that Tara and Lori were taking very seriously. Everything needed to go perfectly 'cause tonight was the night the prank was taking place.

"Hey. Did Tara sneak out already?" Michonne softly questioned to Kelly who stood in the line of people getting their breakfast inside the cafeteria.

"Yeah, she's on her way to get the leaf of poison oak that Daryl had showed us last week."

"I hope she doesn't get caught... or lost." Michonne bit her lip. She had never done something bad in her life before and it was exhilarating and thrilling but mostly, she was terrified of getting caught.

"You worry too much." Kelly teased.

"Yeah? At least I get my feelings out. You haven't talked to any of the boys since they pranked us. It's been a whole week!" Michonne pointed out in a harsh whisper.

"I'm not mad at them, Mich. It's just… I don't want to accidentally say something about the prank to the boys. I have a big mouth so it's easier to not say anything. And I kinda feel sorry for them. They're not gonna know what hit 'em." Kelly explained with a smile growing on her face.

"Well I'd like to wish you luck. Rick is your partner today."

"What's the problem with that?" Kelly raised a brow.

Michonne laughed. "He likes to talk… a lot."

"Yeah, you know what else he likes?"

"Don't even say it." Michonne warned, walking alongside Kelly as they made their way to their table.

Kelly sighed. "Mich, I can't believe you don't see it. Rick likes _you_!" She said in a strained whisper.

"Okay Kel, you seem to have forgotten - once again - that I've been home-schooled my whole life. The only boys that I ever talk to are my cousins."

"Sorry, this is the no-excuse-zone." Kelly said, setting her tray down on the table as Michonne rolled her eyes and set her tray down as well and took a seat.

"Mornin'" Daryl greeted in which only Michonne replied. "Wow. You've really kept to it." Daryl said looking at Kelly with a raised brow.

"If you hadn't tied my feet down then maybe we could have talked." Kelly said stiffly.

"But you just talked to me." Daryl smiled.

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did, you're doing it right now!" Daryl protested.

"Hey, how old are we? 'Cause right now you two sound like Carl and Judith when they fight over a toy." Michonne cut in.

Kelly just eyed her friend till the sight of Carol caught her eye. "Oh, Carol over here!" She waved her friend over.

Carol hesitantly walked over. "Hey guys."

"You gonna take a seat?" Daryl asked.

Carol shook her head. "I was actually going to sit with Ed today. Sorry guys. I had promised him." Carol bit her lip mostly looking at Daryl which, in that moment, he forgave her.

"It's okay. Go ahead." Michonne said quickly once she saw the flush of red growing on Daryl's face when he stared down at his food.

"I hate that guy." Daryl growled looking at Carol cross the cafeteria to the table where Ed and his friends were sitting. "Something about him... makes me wanna-"

"Punch his face?" Michonne cut in.

"Somethin' like that." Daryl nodded.

"Hey guys!" Maggie said as she took a seat with little Beth beside her.

"Mornin' y'all." Beth slid her tray on the table and plopped on the bench.

"I can never find Glenn in this damn cafeteria. Any of y'all seen him?" Maggie asked but the three teens just shook their heads.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Up north. Three steps to the left... here it is!" Tara squealed. She put on some latex gloves Rosita gave her and bent over to pick off a leaf of the poison oak but before she could, she heard some rustling. She quickly looked around - not that that was any bit of help since she was surrounded by bushes and trees - Tara literally jumped when a figure came around a corner that was blocked by the foliage.

"Tara?!"

"Glenn?!" Tara took a deep breath in and let it out with a dramatic exhale. "What are you doing here?!"

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?!" Glenn questioned. He looked a bit shaken up but he stood his ground.

"Why aren't you back at the cafeteria?!" Tara asked. She could feel her heart thumping, this could ruin all of her plans.

"Because... um... I, uh... I follo-followed you! Yeah… I saw you come this way, that's it." He shrugged.

Tara could see his nervousness as he fidgeted with his shirt but if he was telling the truth then he wouldn't need to be nervous. "I _don't_ believe you, but I also _don't_ have the time to keep questioning you."

Glenn took a deep breath in and began to relax but then he looked closer at the sight before him and furrowed a brow. "So, why are you here again... next to the poison oak, with gloves on?"

Tara sighed. "You _can't_ say _anything_ to _anyone. Understand_?" Quickly, Glenn nodded. "Okay. Me and the other girls are planning to prank you guys tonight." Then an idea came to Tara's mind. "Let's make a deal."

"I don't like where this is going." Glenn said a bit wearily.

"We won't do anything to you, we'll just prank the other guys, _but_ only if you let us into your cabin." Tara stated. She knew it was a bit far-fetched to ask him for this but maybe it would work. "And I won't tell anyone that you were out here during breakfast." She added.

Glenn thought for a moment. "Are you blackmailing me? I thought we were on the same team." He muttered that part to himself shaking his head. "You mean to tell me that you're not gonna tell anyone I was out during a meal unless I don't say anything about the prank? You do realize you are out here during breakfast too right?" Glenn pointed out. " _And_ , you are asking me to help you prank _my_ roommates by letting you into _my_ cabin? You really thought that would work?"

Tara bit her lip and slowly nodded with a slight shrug. "Umm… Yes."

"Deal. I'll help you."

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After breakfast the games were starting. Everybody had been paired and had their game set. Unfortunately for Michonne her partner was Lori, one of the two people who she was actively trying to avoid as all costs (the other being Rick). Michonne was praying she could get through this day without any trouble because Lori had made it very clear after their hike that they weren't friends, just two people on the same team.

Because the game Michonne and Lori would be playing was a kayaking race, the game was going to start later than the others so for the time being they would be checking in on how their teammates were doing against their competition. Michonne wanted to watch Kelly play first.

"Hey Kelly. You ready?" Rick asked walking up to her but she just stared at him. "Listen, I'm sorry about the prank, it was Shane's idea." Rick promised without thinking to which Kelly lifted a brow. _Shit, Shane's gonna kill me._ Rick gulped. "Okay it was a team effort, but you can't really be that mad… are you?"

"Hey guys! Just wanted to wish you luck." Michonne said walking over to them, looking mostly at Kelly.

"Hey, thanks!" Kelly smiled.

"Hey Rick!" Lori came walking up behind Michonne. "Just came to wish _you_ good luck… so, good luck!" Lori pulled him into a hug.

"Oh… uh, thanks Lori. That was kind of you, and _Michonne_." He made it a point to look at Michonne and smile.

"Let's wrap this love fest up and kick some ass!" Abraham yelled to his players.

"Abe! Language!" Rosita scolded.

"Go get 'em tiger!" Lori winked at Rick and walked back to Abe and Rosita, though Rick seemed completely caught off guard by the brunette's actions.

Kelly's mouth fell agape, "Okay then! Thanks again Michonne."

Rick turned to the two girls, still confused as he tried to put things together. Something wasn't right. Michonne smiled and started her way back to her leaders and her teammate.

"Kelly... I think... Lori might... like me. And I think Michonne thinks I like Lori." Rick looked at her quizzically as if asking her to confirm or deny his conclusions.

"Took you long enough." Kelly turned to him. "You know? I really hope you don't become some type of officer 'cause you would really suck at looking for clues." Kelly shook her head and walked closer to face her opponents, who were Jessie and Pete.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Tara looked over to Daryl who was her partner for the day. "You okay? You kinda look... Mad." Tara put a hand on his shoulder which caused him to snap out of his daze.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. M'fine. You ready?" Tara gave him a questioning look but nodded.

The game they were playing was two-on-two tennis and Ed was their competitor along with Alisha. The first half of the game was going well. Tara got a few good hits in… but then the atmosphere changed. Ed was hitting the ball harder and Daryl was swinging his tennis racket so fast that you could hear a 'swoosh' sound from the wind bouncing off the racket. Surprisingly, Tara was able to keep up but Alisha just stood back as Ed handled both sides of his court.

"Got it!" Tara yelled. Running closer toward the net, she swung her tennis racket at the flying tennis ball that was headed for her. She made contact hitting the ball and sending it back to the other side where Ed called for it and ran to it.

He pushed Alisha out of the way and hit it sending it back to Tara's direction. Tara prepared herself and just as she was about to hit the tennis ball once again, someone got in front of her.

"Got it!" Daryl shouted and hit the ball with all his might sending it farther than Ed and the white line on the other side.

"Daryl! That wasn't even on your side." Tara started in, frustrated at Daryl and his competition with Ed.

"But, look, we got a point." Daryl pointed out with a smile though Tara just shook her head.

Again the game continued and after about a good five minutes it seemed like only Ed and Daryl were playing the game. Tara was mad but it seemed Daryl and Ed were too focused on the game to even notice her.

"Hey. You're Alisha, right?" Tara walked closer to the net.

"Yeah. Tara?" The girl walked closer too.

"Yeah. Seems like the boys can handle the game all by themselves." Tara took a moment to watch the ball fly back and forth between Ed and Daryl, then turned back to Alisha.

"Mm-hmm." Alisha agreed with a nod. "Can we even be talking to each other during the game?"

"Well, the referee doesn't seem to notice our absence." Tara shrugged with a glance over to their ref.

"True." Alisha smiled as she watched the referee's head snap back and forth between the two guys.

Tara just nodded. "I like your hair… it's, uh... nice." Tara bit her lip.

"Thanks... do you think we should do something about them." Alisha turned back to the boys but Tara just focused on Alisha.

"Do something about wha- oh, the guys." Tara cleared her head. "Right... looks like they're gonna kill one another out there." Alisha just smiled and nodded.

Tara stealthily made her way closer to Daryl's side of the tennis court. She waited til the ball was in Ed's possession, as he hit it, she quickly jumped in front of Daryl and shouting "Got it!" she swung her racket smashing the ball over the net and sending it further than Daryl had.

"Tara what the hell?" Daryl questioned as Tara turned to him.

"But, look, we won the game." Tara smiled as she walked off the court leaving both Daryl and Ed angrily glaring at each other.

"If you guys are gonna kiss just do it already." Alisha said as she walked past Ed and Daryl, following Tara off the court.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After the games had come to an end for most of the team, Michonne and Lori were just getting started. Kelly and Rick showed up first to watch the Kayaking race. Michonne and Lori were already on the other side of the lake with their opponents; Andrea and Gabriel.

"Hey guys! How did your game go?" Kelly smiled at Daryl and Tara who had just showed up.

"Don't wanna talk 'bout it." Daryl grunted, taking a seat on the other side of Rick.

Kelly furrowed a brow. "Who rained on his parade?"

"Me." Tara said. "I got the winning point in our tennis match." Tara bit her lip.

"Oh." Kelly nodded in understanding.

"Well at least you won." Rick stated. "Kelly, you're a great person… but you need to learn how to catch a ball."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Well maybe if you knew how to throw I'd have something to catch."

"Okay guys no fighting." Tara cut in. "So, where are they?" She squinted her eyes to see if she could spot her teammates.

"Have they started yet?" Shane came running up with Maggie, "Somebody got us lost on the way over." He said with a pointed look at the younger girl.

"Excuse me? You weren't going in the right direction either." Maggie said incredulously.

"Well... at least I was closer to the general direction." Shane muttered as he took a seat next to Daryl. Maggie only shook her head and took a seat next to the girls.

"They haven't started yet." Daryl told them. "I think they'll will in a few minutes." He added keeping his eyes on the lake.

After a few moments of silence Carol and Glenn finally showed up. "Hey guys. Are we late?" Carol questioned.

"No. They're getting ready to start." Maggie answered.

The Walking Dead team sat on one side of the bleachers while their rivals sat on the opposite side. Oddly enough no one trashed talked. They were all tense and somewhat nervous for their teammates who would be playing - this was the first water game after all.

Michonne paced back and forth. On the other side, she could see people gathering which made her nervous and the way Lori was arguing with the referee about something, that Michonne tried to block out, made her even more nervous. All Michonne needed right now was to hear words of encouragement from Abraham, but he was all the way on the other side of the lake.

A camp lifeguard came over and checked Michonne's life jacket and helped her into her kayak. She grabbed her two-sided paddle and watched as Lori got into her own one-person kayak. A loud speaker turned on and a voice stated some rules and regulations. Then, the voice went on to say that the race would start when the sound of a gun fired off. The way the race was, was that each player got into there own individual kayak and which ever two teammates made it to the other side of the lake first won.

With the rules in mind Michonne prepped herself and looked over to Lori. "Hey. You ready for this?"

"Just worry about yourself, Michonne." Lori said, not even turning to look at her teammate.

Michonne raised a brow. "I was just asking." She said in a calm tone.

Lori huffed. "Well don't."

Before Michonne could say any more, a shot was fired. She stuck one side of the paddle in the water and pushed herself forward from the left side of her kayak. Quickly, she did the same to the opposite side, pushing again and from there she kept rotating sides as she moved closer and closer to the other side of the lake.

The race was harder than Michonne originally thought. It seemed like forever had gone by yet she just barely got to the middle of the lake. To her surprise she was taking lead but Andrea was quickly catching up.

Michonne took a deep breath in and pushed on. "Almost there. Almost there." She told herself through a clenched jaw. Her biceps were stinging and she could feel sweat beginning to drip from her forehead. As Michonne tried to concentrate she heard people in the crowd start to scream. They were either cheering for her or one of the other players but she didn't pay too much attention to it… but then the words from the people at the side of the lake, that she was trying to get to, were becoming more clear.

"It flipped! It's flipped!" Michonne heard someone from the big crowd of people say.

For the first time during the race Michonne looked at the crowd. She was a little more than halfway to the finish mark and could clearly see the looks of worry on their faces. More than that the look on Abraham's face told her something was wrong.

Michonne abruptly stopped paddling and slightly turned around, only to see the most horrifying sight of all. Michonne's eyes went wide - the kayak Lori was in was completely turned upside down with Lori nowhere in sight. Michonne looked in all directions to see if anyone was coming out to rescue Lori but, if anything, Michonne - who was thirty feet away - was the closest person to Lori who was willing to save her since she absently noticed that Andrea and Gabriel were still paddling on towards the finish line. Michonne turned back to the worried crowd and shook her head.

"The life guard isn't gonna be on time." Michonne muttered to herself. "I got a better chance." She said.

Michonne threw her paddle into the water, slipped out of her kayak and dived into the lake. Within a few seconds she popped up to the surface and breathed in some air. She swung her arms and kicked her feet as fast as she could to where Lori's boat was. It was hard but she had managed to block out the loud crowd of people who were watching intensively. Michonne's only focus was on saving Lori.

After the longest few moments of Michonne's life, she started nearing the boat. With all her might she pushed her arms in front of herself and swung them back, propelling herself a tremendous distance. Finally Michonne had a grip on the kayak. She swore she couldn't feel her arms any more but she tried to flip the boat right-side up… but it was heavy… too heavy. And then it hit her like a brick wall. Lori must still be stuck inside her kayak upside down. Like the rest of the players Lori had on a life jacket which would have made her float to the surface but she wasn't floating up.

In a instant Michonne gulped a huge amount of air and dove down into the water. It hadn't taken her long before her eyes landed on her struggling teammate. Like Michonne had guessed, Lori was indeed stuck. Michonne moved swiftly as she grabbed onto Lori. She could tell Lori couldn't hold her breath for much longer.

Michonne reached for the strap of Lori's life jacket and unclipped it, pulling it down her teammates arms. Once it was off, Michonne grabbed the belt loops of Lori's jeans and tugged on them to try and pull Lori out. It was working, albeit slowly. As hard as she could Michonne tugged for Lori to be free. Time was running out. Michonne grabbed both of Lori's hands and yanked her one last time, setting her free. Lori's eyes were closed and it didn't seem like she was moving. Michonne wrapped her arms around the half unconscious girl and swam to the surface of the water.

With Lori in one arm, Michonne used the other to breaststroke her way to land. It had taken her several exhausting minutes to near the edge of the lake but the thought of Lori dying kept her going. Abraham jumped into the water and swam to Michonne taking Lori from her and rushed back as he set Lori on the ground.

Some of the camp leaders held back the kids from crowding around and getting in the way but Tara managed to slip by as she ran over and took a few steps into the lake reaching for Michonne and helping her out.

"She isn't responding." Abe looked at Rosita. "I'm gonna have to give her mouth to mouth." Abraham stated. Just then, Lori started coughing. Water came out her mouth as she tried to sit up. Quickly, Abe sat her up and patted her back as she kept coughing up water. "Works every time." He said to himself, just really glad that the young girl was breathing.

"Lori are you alright?!" Rosita questioned as she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around Lori. Lori murmured something under her breath that no one was able to catch. "What's that hon?" Rosita asked.

"Mi-Michonne…" Lori said, pulling away from Rosita as she rushed to stand up and nearly falling over in the process. "Where's-"

"Right here." Michonne walked closer with Tara at her side, helping her walk.

Lori shook her head. "Michonne… you saved me."

Michonne shrugged, "If you wanna look at it like that."

"No, Michonne. You saved my life!" Lori said as she walked closer and wrapped her arms around Michonne. "Thank-you!" Tears rolled down Lori's face and as quiet as she wanted to be, she couldn't help but sob.

Michonne sniffled back a few tears herself. The past ten minutes was life or death and that was a lot to take in for the two teen-aged girls.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Are we all here?" Rosita came through the doors of the girls' cabin.

"Yeah - uh… what do ya got there?" Tara pointed to the big box Rosita carried.

"Oh this?" Rosita set the box down on the floor as the girls gathered around it. "I took it from the supply closet. It's all the stuff that kids sneak into camp." She explained.

"Oohh, like… pranking things?!" Tara's face lit up.

"Exactly. I thought it might help us get back at the boys." Rosita smiled.

Carol shook her head as she knelt down to the box and pulled some things out of it. "Hair die?"

"Yup. It's pink too." Rosita took it from her to read the label a little closer, just to make sure it was… somewhat safe.

"I hope Daryl doesn't get that." Carol looked a bit weary.

"Hmm. I guess we'll see tomorrow." Rosita shrugged.

"What's this?" Kelly pulled out a black plastic tube.

"Yeah, someone brought a silent electric shaver last year." Rosita said, unimpressed. "I mean if your gonna bring something, bring something that is _worth_ getting in trouble for."

"No, I think this will do just the trick." Kelly eyed it as she went into deep thought.

Maggie had been rummaging through everything. "Saran wrap?" She furrowed a brow.

"To wrap in front of a door frame so that way they'll hit it and fall back." Rosita answered.

"Ahh." Maggie slowly put it back down.

"Oh, yay! Itching powder!" Tara held up the bottle as if she found gold.

"Oh, yaaay!" Michonne said sarcastically. "Rosita, aren't you the slightest bit nervous you could get fired?"

"Yeah, but that didn't stop Abe from spreading syrup all over our floor." Rosita pointed out. "We gotta leave soon, girls." She stood up and dusted off her pants.

"Yeah… I don't think we should do it tonight." Tara winced.

"What? Why not?" Maggie asked.

"Because a lot happened today. I think Lori would rather get some rest, you too Michonne." Tara looked at her two roommates.

"Are you kidding? I almost died today! This is my therapy." Lori assured.

Michonne smiled. "Hey, I'm up for this. The question is, are you?"

Tara grinned. "I've never been more proud of you two!" She jumped in excitement.

A little while later they had found the boys' cabin. They would have gotten there a lot faster but Tara got them lost and so turned around that they ended up on the other side of their own cabin and Rosita ended up leading the way. Before they went in Tara wanted to make sure everybody knew what they were doing.

"You girls know what to do, right?" She questioned. Everyone nodded their head.

"Hey guys." Maggie started in. "I say we don't prank Glenn. He is probably the reason why the boys didn't mess with me. I would just feel awful doing something to him."

Tara was glad Maggie had said that. "Deal."

"Okay, since we are getting things off our chest. I was wondering, how are we gonna get in?" Lori questioned.

"Don't worry. I got a way." Tara assured. The girls watched as Tara crept to the boys' front door, then she placed her index finger against the wood surface of the door, and began to tap on it.

Carol ran up and pulled Tara back. "What the heck?!" She questioned in a strained whisper. "That's your plan?! To freaking knock on the door?! Do you expect them to just let us in?!"

"Shush!" Tara put her finger to her mouth and all the girls stayed silent. "Now there's something you guys need to know-" Just then Tara's voice faded. They could hear slight movements from the inside and then the door unlocked and someone slowly pulled it open.

"Glenn?!" All the girls, except Tara, said in a shocked whisper.

"Did you tell them?" Glenn turned to Tara.

"I was getting there." Tara assured.

"Okay, just hurry up. The last thing I need right now is for them to wake up and see I'm helping you all." Glenn warned.

"Well we definitely appreciate it." Maggie said as she walked up to Glenn and kissed him on the cheek. His face went red and his mind went blank. He definitely liked having a girlfriend.

Inside the cabin the girls moved silently and quickly down the hall towards the bathroom and the bedroom. Tara set up the booby-traps and skillfully drew a mustache above Daryl's upper lip and across his cheeks. Lori went to the bathroom and emptied a shampoo bottle, then refilled it with the pink hair dye. After Lori left the bathroom Michonne wrapped the door frame from the top to bottom in clear saran wrap. Rosita snuck over to the bed Abraham was on and opened the drawers that were underneath and carefully padded the itching powder all over his underwear drawer.

Glenn stood in the middle of the room watching as the girls quietly worked, running from one side of the room to the other. He felt really bad but he had to keep reminding himself that the the boys had done the same to the girls. Just when he thought it was over Glenn turned to where Kelly was. She was taking out something from a tube.

"Kelly? What's that?" Glenn whispered kneeling down at the side of Shane's bed.

"Shaver." Kelly said as she switched the device on and a light buzzing sound started.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Glenn stated as he stood up and went over to where Tara was.

Within fifteen minutes the girls had finished up and Glenn pushed them all out the door. Everything was set for the boys and Tara felt complete. On the way back to their cabin Carol looked back and saw a light in the distance.

"What's that?!" Carol's eyes went wide.

"Shit… is it Abraham?" Michonne questioned taking a closer look.

"Shush. They're gonna hear us." Lori warned and all the girls stood still.

"Is someone out there?" The male voice questioned.

Michonne furrowed a brow. "Is it Abraham?"

"No." Rosita's eyes went wide. "It's my boss!" She said in a panic. "Every girl for themselves!" Rosita announced in a hushed whisper as she pushed Carol and Lori out of her way then sprinted off in the direction of the girls' cabins.

All the girls stood frozen for a second as they looked at one another wide-eyed. In a split second they all scattered in different directions. Michonne ran in the direction of Rosita as Lori followed close behind. It was still pitch black outside so Kelly couldn't see what direction she was going in but then the light was getting bigger. Now realizing this, she turned to run in the other direction but just as she did so a body came crashing into her.

"Ouch…" Kelly picked herself up off the ground, seeing the figure before her get up as well.

"Kelly?" The figure spoke.

"Tara?" Kelly whispered back.

"Whoa, who's there?!" The voice of Mr. Phil questioned again as he flashed his flashlight around in all directions.

"Tara, what do we do?!" Kelly questioned keeping her voice hushed.

"Run!" Tara stated, but before she or Kelly could move a light hit the both of them.

"Don't move!" Mr. Phil yelled.

* * *

 ** _Oh shoot, what's gonna happen to Tara and Kelly?! How will the boys react to the girls' prank? Are Lori and Michonne cool now?_**

 ** _All will be answered next chapter. Let me know your thoughts, and what was your favorite part if you had one!_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _-~Until Next Time~-_**


	10. Chapter 9: Mary and the Kiss

**_Here is chapter nine! I wish this was up sooner but I had extreme writers block :(. I'm good now and can't wait for you guys to read this! I hope you don't get mad at what happens towards the end so I'm just gonna stop typing that way I won't spoil anything ;)! Enjoy, let me know your thoughts!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Mary and the Kiss**

The time was three-thirty in the morning and it was absolutely quiet in the boys' cabin until the sound of Abraham's phone went off. It rang for a good minute until it finally woke him up.

"Ugh, hello?" Abe answered the phone still trying to wake up. "Oh, hey boss." He said reaching for the lamp to turn it on but the switch wasn't working for some odd reason. "Boss, you do know it's about to be four a.m. right?" Abe questioned as Mr. Blake went on to speak from the other end of the line. "You want me to come down to your office? For what?" Abraham asked as he sat up. "What were they doing out? - Does Rosita know? - Okay I'll be right there."

Abraham threw off his blankets and began his way toward the closet but before he took a single step, he tripped over a wire. Soda cans began to rattle. The more Abe tried to walk, the more he became tangled, and the more tangled he became, the more noise he made. Finally the stringed-up soda cans won and Abraham fell over.

"What the shit?!" Abraham groaned as he tried to pull himself up, continuing to make a tremendous amount of noise.

Rick woke to the sound of his leader cursing… and the sound of... soda cans? "Abraham? Is that you?" Rick groggily asked.

"Turn the light on! What the hell am I stuck in?!" Abraham growled in frustration.

Immediately, Rick obeyed as he jumped off his bed and hit the light switch which released a string that was tied to it and as the light went 'on' a ton of sparkly pink and purple confetti began to fall from the roof.

Rick stared in awe and so did Abraham, that's when Shane woke.

"I swear somebody better be dead if I'm awake this ea-" His gaze drifted to the last bit of falling confetti. "The hell happened?" Shane questioned and began to get out of bed, rubbing his eyes to see clear.

Rick had gone over to help Abraham up, throwing a pillow - that he got off his bed - at Daryl, waking him up too.

In a flash, Daryl shot up and looked over to the rattling noise where Rick was helping Abraham up. "The hell happened?" Daryl raised a brow and quickly got off his bed, noticing the large amount of confetti on the floor.

"That's what I-" Shane started, only to stop when he got a good look at Daryl's face. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing before he broke into full on laughter as he pointed at his teammate.

"What?!" Daryl growled and began to frantically pat his face.

"You got a mustache bro," Shane said through his laughing fit, bending over a bit when his sides began to hurt... that's when Daryl noticed it.

Daryl's face fell and his heart rate sped up, he fell silent and the only sound in the room was Rick and Abraham ripping the wires with the soda cans off. "Sha-Shane." Daryl gulped.

"Sorry... Sorry, that's just the funniest thing, man. Don't get your panties in a twist bro."

"I won't if you wont." Daryl stated, confusing Shane.

"What? What are you talking about?" Shane questioned, getting serious real quick. All Daryl did was point to Shane's head as a great deal of fear came over him for what was about to be discovered. Shane gave Daryl a questioning look before moving his hand up to his long curly hair, well, what _was_ left of his long curly hair.

As Shane patted around he came across a spot that felt like his scalp. "Wha- no… no, no!" Shane's eyes grew twice its original size, "Where's my hair?!" He asked in a panic, Daryl just shrugged. Shane took off to the bathroom. He ran out of the room in a flash and just as he was about to enter the bathroom he was propelled back. He was knocked down and he landed on his back.

"What the fu-" Shane began holding onto his nose and head.

"What happened! What are you doing?" Rick came running into the hallway, only to see his best friend lying flat on the floor.

"Thought I'd take a nap - the hell's it look like I'm doing!" Shane grunted as he picked himself up with the help of Rick and that's when Rick noticed _it._

"God no." Rick gasped, "Shane your hair... it's, uh-"

"Please, don't say it." This was the first time in the eleven years that the two had known each other that Rick had ever seen tears in Shane's eyes. All hell was about to break loose.

Shane ripped down the saran wrap in record time as he made his way over to the mirror, all Rick could do was watch from his place in the hallway... and that's when Shane finally saw _it_.

Just as Abe and Daryl ran into the hallway, covered in mysterious blue powder, a loud scratchy scream - one that could make Rosita's and Lori's screams sound like a hiccup - sounded off from Shane.

"Ohmygod! My hair! It's gone! They…. they shaved my hair!" Shane looked from the mirror to his roommates then back to the mirror, still on the verge of tears. "I'm partly bald!"

"Is that a 'K'?" Daryl asked.

"Oh man." Abe said in a deep sigh, "The girls went too far." He shook his head.

"You can barely notice it." Rick said, trying to make his best friend feel better but even he could see through his lie. "Are... are you gonna keep it that way?" Rick was almost afraid to ask but half of his best friend's hair _was_ missing. He cast a worried glance over to Daryl and Abe, he was too focused on Shane to question why his leader and cabin mate were covered in some type of blue powder.

"No!" Shane growled, "I'd look dumb!" He spat while internally cringing at having to shave off the rest of his hair. This was going to be horrible. Why couldn't they have just shaved his whole head? At least they would have saved him this cruelty.

"I'll chop it off for you." Daryl offered as he, Rick, and Abraham walked into the bathroom.

"No this needs to be done by me." Shane said, giving himself a mental pep-talk, as he walked over to the cabinet to get the razor. When he reached for the door and opened it his eyes landed on an object that looked all too familiar to him. In an instant Shane dropped to the floor, just as the automatic paintball gun was triggered and set off, sending the sticky syrup it was filled with shooting straight at Rick, Daryl, and Abraham.

In a split second Daryl grabbed Rick and held him in front of his body as a human shield. He was already covered in blue powder that shot out from the closet when Abraham opened it to grab his clothes, which weren't even there, he wasn't about to be covered in whatever was going to come out of the paintball gun.

"Wh- noooo!" Rick shouted as he covered his face and tried to escape from Daryl's grip.

By the end Rick was drenched in sticky syrup, Abraham would have been too but he did a James Bond and escaped the bathroom before he could get hit. When it seemed like it was over Daryl slowly let go of his friend and looked at the wall and part of the ceiling that was dripping with syrup.

Rick shifted uncomfortably as he looked down at himself and his night clothes that were ruined. "I think I need a shower." He stated as a frown grew on his face.

"Ya think?" Daryl began, giving a slight chuckle, a small one also emanating from Shane as he picked himself off the ground.

"What are you laughing at?" Rick looked over to his best friend, "At least I'll still have hair after this morning."

Shane's smile disappeared, "Too soon man, too soon." He turned back to the cabinet and grabbed the item he was originally getting. "Here Daryl," Shane shook the razor at the boy covered in powder. "Think you oughta shave that mustache you got goin' on." Daryl just huffed.

Shane took in a deep breath, turned on the razor, and lifted it to his head. Slowly he swiped it backwards from his hairline watching the strands begin to fall to the floor. It took several minutes for him to near the end of shaving his hair off, he was just glad his suffering would be over soon. Rick and Daryl stood back and watched for the next few moments as Shane finished up, now he was 'bald'.

"You okay?" Rick questioned, still dripping with syrup.

Shane just slowly nodded. "Why are girls evil?" He shook his head.

"We did mess with them first." Daryl shrugged as the other two boys raised a brow. Great now he was sticking up for them.

"It's gone!" Abraham came running into the bathroom "It's all gone!"

"What's all gone? What are you talkin' about?" Daryl questioned trying to get a better understanding of his panicked leader.

"Our clothes, only thing that's left is my underwear that's in the drawer under my bed." Abe explained.

"What do you mean… _our_?" Shane raised a brow taking a step forward.

"What does it sound like?" Daryl growled as he and Shane followed Abraham out of the bathroom.

"What about me?" Rick called out.

"You stay in there Syrup Boy… should probably take a shower and scrub your hair extra good with shampoo." Abraham answered.

After a thorough search Daryl, Shane, and Abraham came to the conclusion that the girls had kidnapped their clothes.

"I can't be late." Abe looked frantically around.

"Late for what? It's nearly four in the freaking morning!" Shane exclaimed.

"Yeah, but Kelly and Tara are in Mr. Phil's office, I have to get down there." Abe explained as he dusted off the blue powder from his face and shirt as best he could.

"You gonna show up in your boxers? And tank?" Shane questioned.

"Well, seeing as that is the only clothes I have right know." Abe shrugged.

"Okay, but don't let them off easy! No matter how cute Kelly is, just think of my hair… my poor beautiful hair... and your missing clothes!" Shane stated and Abraham nodded as he went out the door.

It was quiet for a moment before a revelation came over Daryl, "How the hell is Glenn still asleep?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Okay girls, let's go over this _one_ more time _and_ this time the _truth._ " Mr. Blake, who was sitting at his desk, asked the two girls who were sitting on the two seats in front of it.

"It's like I said, Kelly sleep walks. So me being the caring teammate that I am, I followed her." Tara explained as if it was only obvious. "I didn't want her falling into the lake and the last thing this camp needs in _another_ person to drown." Tara added raising a brow.

"Miss Chambler, are you blackmailing us?" Mrs. Deanna, who was still in her bed robe, asked as she sat on the edge of Mr. Blake's desk.

"Of course not, I would never do something like that." Tara said in a flat tone.

"Didn't think so-" Just then Rosita walked through the doors of the office. "Ms. Espinoza, do you care to tell us why Mr. Phil found two of your kids wandering about at three in the morning?"

Rosita shook her head. "I'm just as shocked as you." She stated.

"What?!" Tara questioned feeling like she had been stabbed in the back by her own leader nonetheless.

Kelly who was frantically biting her nails suddenly stopped, not even Rosita was gonna help them get out of this. Kelly felt sick and lightheaded. Sucking in a breath of air and making it as loud as she could, she widened her eyes at the same time, "Hey! What am I doing here in the ever so handsome and amazing Mr. Phil's office?!" She exclaimed, acting as if she just woke up.

"Nice try girls." Mr. Phil shook his head.

"I thought that was pretty good." Tara patted her friend's back.

"Thanks." Kelly shrugged looking ashamed, this was the first time her acting hadn't worked on someone.

"I don't even know where to begin with you two." Rosita stated looking very serious. "I never expected this from you two... okay, well I expected it from Tara, but you Kelly?" She added shaking her head in disapproval.

"What?!" Tara's eyes went wide, not being able to tell if Rosita was acting or not.

"I am asha-" Rosita began only to be interrupted by someone coming in.

"Oh, Mr. Ford, nice of you to join us. You're late." Mr. Phil said as he stood up to greet Abraham then he noticed Mr. Ford's appearance, "You're… barely clothed." Mr. Phil pointed out.

"Just got here as fast as I could, I thought one on my girls was hurt." Abraham explained showing the utmost concern on his face.

"Do you sleep with some type of blue powder on?" Deanna questioned.

"It helps exfoliate the skin." Abe nodded nervously.

Tara eyed him, all that he was saying was full of crap. "Cool, maybe you could lend some to me. I want smooth skin, wouldn't you Kelly?"

"Sure would." Kelly smirked as Abraham grew red.

"Tara," Mrs. Deanna started, "do you mind going over your story for Mr. Ford, and _not_ the one where Kelly sleep walks." She demanded rather than asked.

"Okay, so here's what happened Abraham-"

"Abraham? You call your leader Abraham?" Deanna cut in looking appalled.

"You're right, Abraham's too formal. Here's what happened Abe," Abraham gave himself a face palm as Tara continued. "Kelly and I were actually on our way to a church to pray for the less fortunate, isn't that right Kelly?"

"Mmhmm." Kelly nodded as she sat up, trying her best to look earnest.

"Listen, I know these girls," Abe started. "I know for a _fact_ , they wouldn't get up this early to go to church." He plainly stated.

"What?!" Tara felt completely betrayed now.

"Yeah, thank's for the support." Kelly muttered.

"Okay, it's _really_ early and I just want some sleep." Mrs. Deanna stated. "Girls your punishment will be working in the kitchen for every meal for the next week, clear?"

"What?" Tara questioned.

"Miss Chambler I advise you to expand on your vocabulary, instead of using 'what' as your response to everything." Deanna stated in a sour tone.

Now Tara could feel her blood boil. "WHAT?!" She stated just for the hell of it. I mean, she was already in trouble, why not push it?

"Tara your insolence will get you kicked out of this camp." Mr. Phil warned.

"Please, is that a threat or a promise?" Tara leaned forward in her chair as she challenged her two camp directors.

"Okay!" Rosita started in, "I think I should take the girls to bed, they have an early day tomorrow." She explained.

"Yeah, one of my boys needs supervision on him for the next twenty-four hours, he's been through a lot." Abe stated, causing a confused expression on both Deanna and Phil, as Rosita held back a smile and Tara gleamed with pride.

"Wait!" Kelly's eyes widened, "I don't know how to cook!" She stated and this time Tara gave herself a face palm.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Rosita, Kelly, and Tara finally made the their way back to their cabin. The second Tara had shut the front door, Michonne came running out of the bedroom.

"You guys are back! What happened? Where did Mr. Phil take you?" She questioned bringing her two friends into a hug.

"To his stupid office where he asked us stupid questions." Tara pouted.

"I blocked out everything." Kelly stated with a shrug then hugged Carol and Lori when they came into the hallway.

"Well, at least you guys got away with it right?" Maggie questioned, coming over and giving Tara and Kelly a hug as well.

"No, I wish." Tara huffed. "Rosita was too busy trying to protect her job."

"Hey! Guys your punishment isn't that bad." Rosita stated.

When Carol gave Kelly a questioning look, Kelly spoke up. "We have to work in the kitchen for the next week."

"Ugh, I bet that's why the food sucks," Tara started. "they have kids cooking it."

" _No_ , they have a sweet woman named Mary who does all the cooking." Rosita assured.

Carol shook her head, "Well maybe Mary should learn how to cook a steak."

"Carol!" Rosita gasped in shock.

Carol bit her bottom lip, "Sorry guys, I don't know what came over me."

"The truth, that's what." Tara laughed.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

It was six thirty in the morning when Rosita woke up both Tara and Kelly to start their first day of punishment. The girls complained the whole time they got ready. They made their way to the cafeteria, only getting turned around a total of two times. Once they got there they complained some more. Breakfast would start at eight a.m. giving Tara and Kelly an hour and thirty minutes to help prepare the meal with the only chef, Mary.

"Whoa. I've never seen the cafeteria this empty." Tara said, then smiled when she heard her own echo.

"Well we've never been in trouble before." Kelly stated. The sound of a pot falling and hitting the tile floor echoed from the back where the kitchen was and throughout the whole cafeteria.

Tara and Kelly gave each other questioning looks before a woman with long reddish-brown hair that was put in a side braid and looked to be in her early fifties came out with a smile plastered across her face.

"Hi, I'm Mary. Let's get you two geared up so we can start prepping the meals." Again she flashed a smile as both girls returned the kind gesture.

"So, what do ya want us to do? 'Cause I can pull out a table and take a nap on it." Tara offered as Kelly nudged her.

"Oh no, no. You girls will help by getting me the supplies for this morning's breakfast." Mary assured.

"What? We actually have to do work?" Tara whined.

"It's not that bad girls." Mary said, she opened a drawer and pulled out two ball-shaped bunches of string. "Here, put these on."

Tara unraveled hers, then her eyes went wide. "Hair nets?"

"I'd rather die." Kelly stated looking down at the object in her hands with disgust.

"This week is going to go by _really_ slow if you two keep on being downers." Mary scolded. "Alright, I just need you two to set those trays on the center counter right over there and after that I need you two to open those boxes, they have oranges in them and I need you guys to cut them for the orange juice."

Kelly and Tara nodded and went to do so. "This sucks." Tara complained for the hundredth time that morning.

Kelly glanced over to where Mary was cutting up some bacon strips. "Ms. Mary is right." She stated in a hushed voice for only Tara to hear. "This could be… fun." Kelly shrugged as she organized the trays on her side of the counter.

"Fun? How will this be fun? We are literally working in the summer." Tara debated.

Kelly sighed and continued to organize. "Yeah, but… I told my dad I would hate summer camp… and well-"

"You like it here?" Tara raised a brow when Kelly nodded. "What do you like?"

"Being apart of something. Feeling like I can trust other people too and not just my dads." She explained.

Tara nodded. "I like it here too. What I don't like is working." She smiled as she finished placing the trays down.

Kelly finished too then moved to her box and opened it. "You got any siblings?" She questioned while taking out the first few oranges and beginning to cut them.

"One. She's eighteen, and expecting her first baby… it's a girl." Tara answered.

"Wow. That's exciting… right?" Kelly asked unsure if it was a good thing.

"Yeah." Tara shrugged. "How about you? Any siblings?"

Kelly shook her head, "No. I would like one though."

Tara nodded. "Would your dads adopt again?"

Kelly just shrugged, "They say it was hard getting me, and that they are perfectly happy with just me." Kelly explained.

Tara slowly nodded. "If it matters… I think you'd be a good big sister or little sister."

Kelly smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot. I think you are going to be the best aunt _ever_!"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Rick! Rick you are taking forever in the bathroom man!" Shane yelled as he pounded on the door.

The sun was finally out and the boys were getting ready to go to breakfast. It had been an hour since Abraham finally found all of his, Rick's, Shane's, and Daryl's clothes on the roof of their cabin but strangely all of Glenn's clothes were still neatly folded in his drawers. When questioned, Glenn explained how Maggie probably told the rest of the girls not to prank him in which Abraham, Shane, and Rick believed him but Daryl was still a bit skeptical.

"No!" Rick yelled back making Shane growl in frustration.

"What do you mean no, man? I gave you your clothes already."

"I'm not comin' outta here!" Rick's southern voice trembled.

"The hell's goin' on?" Abraham asked as he walked in with the last bit of clothes from the roof.

"Dunno." Shane shrugged. "Rick's not gettin' out the dang bathroom and I need to get ready." Shane explained.

"Why do you need the bathroom to get ready? It's not like you have hair any more." Abraham said as Shane's mouth fell open. "And Rick get out the bathroom now, you're a teen boy not a teen girl." He shouted to the boy behind the closed door.

"Fine! But I swear..." Rick sighed. They could hear the sound of the door unlocking and just as the door opened both Daryl and Glenn came into the hallway.

Daryl's face fell at the sight of Rick and Glenn cursed himself.

"Your… your hair Rick." Shane said almost forgetting how to speak.

"It's pink. I know." Rick said ashamed. He ran his hand through his _now_ bright pink hair.

"You could barely notice it. You gonna keep it that way?" Shane said copying the same words Rick had told him earlier about his hair.

"Well I'm not gonna cut it." Rick fired back.

Abraham didn't know what to say, the girls had done some really elaborate pranks. If only they would just focus this kind of energy into their sports activities... "I'll talk to Rosita." He stated. "But if she used the hair dye that I think she did, the dye should come out in a few days." He explained and now Glenn didn't feel so bad.

With that Rick put on a beanie to hide his pink hair and Shane wore a hoodie to hide his baldness. All the guys headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Glenn guided them, it was going to be the third week of camp and neither Rick, Shane nor Daryl had bothered to find out which way the cafeteria was.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The girls had finished the previous task Mary had given them, so they wanted to check back in and see if there was anything else Mary needed to be done.

"Okay Mary! Trays are set, oranges are cut and squeezed, food is prepped, got anything else for us?" Tara questioned.

"One more thing then I need you girls to serve the kids when they come." Mary stated.

"Serve? … The kids?" Kelly was already mortified. "I'm wearing a hair net, I don't want others to see me like this!"

"Ooh, it's not that bad." Mary assured as she set a tray of Jello in the front. "Last thing you girls need to do is put those can foods on the carts." Mary directed.

"What? There's like over a hundred!" Tara protested.

"A hundred and seventy-four to be exact." Mary smiled as the two girls dragged themselves to the canned food and began stacking. Mary shook her head and walked to the front of the kitchen where she would serve the first few leaders and campers.

"This is just great!" Kelly started in with a harsh whisper. "I don't want the whole cafeteria to see me like this." She sighed.

"You don't want the whole cafeteria to see you like this? Or you don't want _Shane_ to see you like this?" Tara chuckled to herself when she saw her friend's cheeks fill with a warm pink color.

"What?! Eww gross! Don't go there, Tara." Kelly shook her head dramatically.

Tara cocked a brow, "Okay. I won't." She promised.

"Mmhmm." Kelly eyed her partner in crime. "Sooo, who is it that you like?"

"Me? No one." Tara swore as she focused on stacking her cans.

"Sure you don't. So which boy is it?" Kelly pressed.

"I don't like _any_ of the boys, they're annoying." Tara shrugged as a nervous sweat broke out on her forehead.

"Come on, everyone has a crush on someone at one point or another. Is it Daryl?" Kelly raised a brow.

Tara stopped stacking and turned to face Kelly - who was still sacking. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah, that's kinda why I'm asking you." Now Kelly stopped and faced her teammate.

Tara stood in front of Kelly for a moment as a debate went on in her head with herself, then, she grabbed a hold of Kelly's shoulders and brought her in, planting her lips on Kelly's. The second Tara pulled back, Kelly's eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth fell agape.

"Oh- uh… I, uh, mm-" Kelly tried to speak but forgot all the English language she had ever learned.

Tara just watched as Kelly struggled to speak, "See, that's the reaction I get when I tell people I'm gay." Tara stated.

"Wh- do you kiss everyone you tell?" Kelly questioned, her eyes still wide.

"No!" Tara looked at Kelly as if she was the crazy one. "It's just you assumed I liked a guy, and if I were to tell you I was gay you would have been okay with that since your parents are gay." Tara explained though it still didn't make any sense to Kelly.

"So, why did you kiss me? Do you… like me?" Kelly furrowed a brow.

"No, no - I mean you're great and all but I see you as a friend. I wanted to show you how people, who don't understand gay people, would act. You were shocked right?"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't expecting you to kiss me if that's what you mean." Kelly folded her arms across her chest as she began to feel more calm.

"So, do you understand?" Tara questioned.

"Yeah, I mean, you could have just told me." Kelly shrugged. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Who do you have a crush on?"

"Oh, right. I was kind of hoping you would have forgotten that. It's Alisha, from Ed's team… she's really pretty."

"She's also our rival." Kelly's eyes went big, "Aww! It's like Romeo and Juliet! Or, more like, Juliet and Juliet..." Kelly shrugged.

"Yeah, or just Tara and Alisha." Tara offered.

"Right, we could just call it that." Kelly smirked.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Tara and Kelly were finally finished stacking the hundred and seventy-four canned foods and now it was time to help Mary serve their fellow campers and the leaders. They rolled up their sleeves and put on gloves, then they stood with an over-sized spoon in hand as they slapped food on the trays of campers. Eventually they started seeing familiar faces.

"Oh, hey guys." Maggie gave them both a sympathetic smile. "How's the first day?"

"Not too bad." Kelly shrugged.

"Glad to hear." Again Maggie smiled. "Oh hey, has Glenn gotten his breakfast yet?"

"Not yet, but when he does we'll be sure to tell him where you are." Tara assured. Maggie slid down the opposite side of the counter with her tray as little Beth waved to Kelly and Tara.

A few minutes had past and now another familiar face showed up.

"Hey!" Michonne smiled. "I like the nets."

"Shut it." Tara joked.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she put some eggs on her friend's tray.

"Oh, can I have some extra jello?!" Michonne begged. "Andre and Zach like to come to the table and steal mine." She explained.

"Fine." Kelly sighed and put two extra scoops on Michonne's plate.

"Thanks! And hey, don't look at this punishment as such a bad thing!" Michonne tried to encourage them.

"And what is so good about us being stuck in the kitchen?" Tara questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Me getting extra scoops of jello." Michonne simply stated as she winked at the girls and left.

Kelly laughed. "I'll kill her." She stated then looked at the person in front of her, it was a little kinder whose eyes were wide after just hearing Kelly's statement. "Oh hi sweetie! Here, want some pudding?" Kelly smiled nicely as the little boy nodded slowly and after Kelly neatly placed the chocolate pudding on the boy's tray, he ran over to his table where his friends were.

"Oh. My. God. I think you scared that kid." Tara shook her head.

"I didn't know he was-"

"Well. Well. WELL." Shane interrupted as he slowly walked over to them. "What do we got here?"

"Hey Shane." Kelly smiled. "How about you take off that hoodie of yours."

Shane's smile faded. "Yeah, we'll see who gets the last laugh." He stated.

"I don't think I'll ever stop laughing." Tara said through a giggle.

"Yeah, okay… nice hair nets by the way." He said as he flashed them one last devilish smile and left.

And that was the last time Shane talked to any of the girls for several days.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The next few days were more than a little difficult for The Walking Dead. Bickering, ribbing, and smack talk were in no short reserve between the boys and the girls. Much to Abraham's dismay, they were losing a majority of their games to the competition and not looking their best on the field.

It had started off with just Shane refusing to speak to any of the girls and Rick only speaking to the girls when directly spoken to. Their fighting had escalated to Daryl choosing to stick by the guys and sitting with Shane and Rick at their table. Daryl hadn't minded the fact that the girls had chosen to retaliate with their prank against them. He actually felt proud of the girls for sticking up for themselves and that they had the guts to do so unlike the girls he had known before. That was until he had contracted poison oak from a leaf he found within his sheets. Daryl couldn't believe that they had used the knowledge he _gave_ them _against_ him.

Rosita and Abraham were also not getting along but forced themselves to pull it together for the sake of their group. They tried to push the team into more icebreakers but it just ended up making a bigger mess of things. Glenn and Maggie also tried their hand at getting the two sides to come together but no such luck with their older teammates was made.

Now it was the middle of week three, half-way through Tara and Kelly's punishment, and the group was no closer to making amends. Their competition was quick to pick up on the obvious tensions in the group and exploit that on the field and off whenever they had the chance.

"Look what we have here. My favorite dick-wads." Ed Peletier crowed as he came up to face Daryl. "You been looking a little weak there Dixon. Carol finally put you in your place, then?" Ed laughed.

"You win one time, Peletier, once and you think you're better than me?" Daryl shot back, immediately on the defensive.

"I know-" Ed began but got cut off before he could go any further.

"Listen Ed, you suck." Tara plainly stated. "I'm not gonna stand here and listen to the stupid shit you have to say, and if you think I'm trying to stick up for Daryl I'm not, cause if there is anything I hate more than him right now it's you."

"Don't I feel special." Daryl muttered.

Tara just glared as she walked back to stand with Michonne.

Rick sighed, "Kay Ed, it was nice of you to drop by with your group but-"

"But what Grimes? You the voice for your group?" Ed snickered.

"Yeah I'd rather hear from the redneck." Nick, who stood behind Ed, laughed.

"Haha - nobody asked." Maggie stated.

"Ohh cow-girl put on her big girl boots did she now?" Andrea smiled, folding her arms across her chest.

Maggie lifted a brow but Kelly pulled her back. "How about you keep your mouth shut and I won't put my fist in your face." Kelly fired back.

"Oh, Shane finally taught his girlfriend how to fight back?" Gareth said as a wicked smile grew on his face.

"You're some twisted piece of-" Shane started as he began to head in the direction both Nick and Ed were before someone stood in his way.

"I hope your sentence was going to end in a complement Mr. Walsh." The woman's iced blue eyes sent a shiver down Shane's spine which only meant one thing... Dawn.

"Listen lady-" Again Shane was cut off.

"Knock it off!" Abraham said in a deep tone as he walked over to his team. "Get in your pairs and most importantly, get yourselves together." Abraham ordered.

Dawn smiled. "Well, nice to see you taking charge."

"Back off Dawn." Abe shook his head and left to meet up with the pair that would be playing the games first.

Kelly walked over to where Shane was. "Good luck on your game, Shane." Kelly smiled.

Shane looked as her, raised a brow, and walked away.

Kelly's mouth fell open. "I didn't want him to not talk to me." Kelly pouted.

Maggie shook her head, "Gosh Kelly, you can't have it both ways, it's either you like him or you don't." Kelly's mouth dropped even more as she turned to Michonne.

"Sorry, Maggie is right. Make up your mind." Michonne agreed and now Kelly's mouth was completely agape.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The first pair to play that day was Daryl and Michonne. Neither one had a reason to talk to each other for the past few days and thankfully their game didn't require talking. It was the hundred meter dash against Alisha and Gabriel. Whichever two from the same team passed the finish line first won.

Michonne stretched and did a few lunges before her run as a warm-up. When Daryl noticed her doing that, he as well began to stretch longer and did twice as many lunges than she had. Michonne was nervous for the race but at least the game didn't involve swimming or a lake and as much as she'd hate to admit it right now, she knew Daryl could handle himself.

Just as the race was about to begin Abraham told Daryl to take his place next to Michonne, and after asking 'why' multiple times, Daryl finally did so. When he stood on the white line, he made it a point to turn to her and raise a brow as if asking her if she was ready but she just pursed her lips and turned the other way. Daryl growled in frustration.

 _'W_ _hy are girls so difficult?'_ Daryl asked himself.

Then the whistle was blown and Daryl sped off before the whistle could even finish. Michonne took long strides and managed to match Daryl's speed and then she slowly started to pass him up. Daryl huffed in frustration though he noticed Alisha and Gabriel were still far behind compared to where he was, Michonne was the only one in the way of him coming in first place. Daryl bit his lip and pushed on staying in his lane of the bright red track they were running on.

Michonne was so focused on the race, she blocked out all the voices of the people who were watching and the sounds of birds chirping. She kept her eyes on the finish line but she couldn't help but to notice that nobody was in her peripheral vision, she felt compelled to look back and she did. Quickly Michonne looked over her shoulder to see her opponents, Alisha and Gabriel, were way behind. But her teammate - Daryl - was picking up speed, and she couldn't - no, she wouldn't let him pass her.

This was a race between Michonne and Daryl now.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Lori and Shane were definitely not pleased to be in each other's presence but they were on the same team so Lori was willing to be civil. Shane on the other hand, not so much.

"The only mud I get covered in is in spas not some gross contaminated mud." Lori said in disgust after finding out that her and Shane's game was a mud run obstacle course.

"Lori work with us here, we need you!" Abraham pleaded.

Lori took a deep breath in, "I know." She sighed. "Okay. I'm ready." She stated as she mentally prepped herself to get ready. "You okay Shane?" Lori put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tuh." Shane shrugged her hand off and turned away from her. Lori rolled her eyes, he could act so much like a girl at times.

Lori shook her head and made her way to the beginning of the course and as she passed by some of the obstacles, she knew this was going to be a challenge. Regretting the moment she agreed with her parents that she'd come to the camp, Lori stood on the white line and waited.

The whistle blew and the four competitors took off. Shane and Lori were up against Nick and Enid.

The first obstacle was to climb a ten foot wall. This was easy for Lori since she did rock climbing with Tara a few weeks ago. She made it over to the other side of the wall and dropped down quickly then headed to the next obstacle. To her absolute shock she was actually keeping up with Shane but their competitors were also keeping up. The next obstacle was the monkey bars which sounded easy at first, even looked easy, but then Lori got a closer look. There was a pool of mud that matched the length and width of the monkey bars. If she fell, she would be completely drenched in the thick nasty mud. Being extremely careful, Lori stepped on the ladder and reached for the first bar and swung her body as she grabbed the second bar with the opposite hand. She was doing well until her muscles began to burn towards the end.

Shane had finished the monkey bars first and turned back just in time to see Lori fall into the big pool of mud and a big splash came up, hitting him and getting mud not only on his face but the front of his clothes.

After a few more obstacle courses, wherein Lori not only got herself but Shane covered in mud, they came across a path of tires. Shane went first as he stepped in the center of the wheel and picked his feet up shuffling through each tire quickly, putting him in first place. Lori bit her lip, it looked dangerous but she couldn't be the cause of a lost game. She jumped on the tires and ran across the black rubber on all of them. Sure, she didn't do it right but now she was in second place and heading straight for the finish line. She grabbed on to a white rope and swung across another pool of mud. Finally she and Shane were done... and completely covered in mud.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

There was a nice warm summer breeze that swept through the camp. The games were done for that day so the teams headed to their usual spots to report their scores to the tally keepers. The Walking Dead's usual spot was under two humongous pine trees where there was a log that Daryl loved to sit on.

Michonne and Daryl had shown up first and everybody else seemed to trickle in quickly after them.

"Hey man." Shane nodded to Daryl. "How did ya do?"

Daryl shrugged. "We won... but Michonne fell when she passed the finish line." He answered carelessly.

Rick cocked his head forward, "You fell?" He questioned while trying to hide his concern for her the best he could.

"Yeah, but I wonder why?" Michonne pointed her glare in the direction of Daryl.

"What? You can't go blamin' me for that!" Daryl protested.

"Ha, what are y'all bickering about now?" Ed walked over to the large group of his rivals, surprisingly, his own group wasn't with him.

"Oh, Ed almost didn't recognize you without all your minions behind you." Michonne gave him the fakest smile she could plaster across her face.

"Yeah, what could you possibly want this time Ed?" Lori questioned in a bothered tone.

"Just wanted to wish my sweetheart a goodnight." He nodded to Carol.

"Oh, uh... goodnight Ed." Carol gave him a shy smile, just then Daryl could feel his lunch come up.

"Okay, bye now!" Kelly waved Ed off but he just laughed.

"Nah I think I'll stay for the fireworks."

"What? What are you talkin' about?" Rick asked.

"Well, Carol's been telling me that y'all haven't been the best of friends, and hell, I'm just here for the show. Kinda explains why y'all have been losing lately." Ed explained.

"Carol, you told him those things?" Rick looked at her, wanting her to just say Ed was lying.

"Why are you betraying us?" Lori gasped.

"No, you don't understand, I was just -"

"No we don't understand Carol. How could you do this to us? What other things have you told him? Can we even trust you anymore?" Lori asked and with each question Carol's mouth fell open a little more.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Daryl barked at Lori.

Lori furrowed a brow. "Don't go telling me how to talk to her because if I remember correctly, you haven't said one word to her in the past four days!"

"Don't matter, she's still your teammate!" Daryl shot back.

"Teammate?" Kelly incredulously repeated Daryl's last word. "What does that word even mean to any of us lately? We are anything but a team." She stated as she managed to keep her eyes from getting watery.

"I think you guys just need to get some rest." Abraham spoke up as he walked to his group of kids with a worried Rosita at his side.

"No Mr. Ford. Rest isn't gonna help us." Maggie chimed in.

"Mr. Ford?" Abraham questioned to himself, turning to Rosita in shock.

"Well my job here is done." Ed smiled to himself and left before anybody could direct their anger at him.

"We're falling apart man." Shane stated as he rested his hands on his hips and looked towards the ground.

"Ya think?" Kelly shook her head.

"Maybe if you didn't go shaving my head off, we'd be fine." Shane told her.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense cause we were the ones who started the pranking first, right?!" Tara yelled.

"Okay that is enough!" Rosita started in, only to be cut off by one of her kids.

"I didn't say you started it!" Shane yelled back.

"You just expected us not to prank y'all back?!" Maggie questioned, raising her voice as well.

"Listen!" Abraham stepped in the middle of his group. "This conversation is over! We need to stick together for the games-"

"Nobody cares about the stupid games, Abraham!" Lori shouted as Abe's face dropped. In an instant Abraham stormed off, leaving Rosita alone to deal with them.

Rosita shook her head, "You guys need to figure this out on your own." Then she was gone too.

"The guys were the ones who started this mess, y'all should be the ones to pick it up. Glenn even thinks so, right Glenn?" Maggie questioned, turning to her boyfriend.

"Oh, umm... I, uh." Glenn scratched the back of his neck.

"He don't got to go agreeing with everythin' you say, ain't that right Glenn?" Shane stated as he wrapped his arm around his younger group member's shoulders.

"Oh." Maggie nodded with a raised brow. "You don't agree then?"

"Well, n-not exactly." Glenn stumbled over his words keeping in mind that Maggie knew how to skin a pig, and really, how different was a pig compared to a teenage boy?

"I see." Maggie backed away to stand next to Lori.

"Maggie, come on-" Glenn tried in, but Kelly's voice was louder.

"Shane you're doing the same to him." She pointed out. "Making him be your little puppet."

"Well you know what sugar, no one asked you. I bet if you didn't come to this camp it would be a whole lot better." Shane stated. Kelly's mouth fell open and so did all the girls'.

"You act like I wanted to be here!" Kelly shouted as tears swelled up in her eyes. She took a few steps back then turned completely and she ran off.

"I can't believe you! You are so insensitive!" Lori said in disgust as she ran off in hopes of finding Kelly.

"Shane." Rick said in a warning tone.

"Ugh, whatever man." Shane said kicking the dirt as he realized what he had said.

"I should have never let you guys in." Glenn shook his head as he looked at Tara.

"Let who in? What are you talking about Glenn?" Rick questioned.

The younger boy's face fell. "Oh - nothing it was nothing."

"You sure? Cause it sounded like something." Rick raised a brow.

"Yeah. What are you hiding?" Daryl took a few steps closer to his cabin mate.

"Okay! I was the one who helped the girls prank you." Glenn said ashamed.

"My - my hair is gone because of you?!" Shane's eyes went wide.

"My hair was pink for three days, three days too long all because of what? Maggie being your girlfriend? Why Glenn?" Rick asked trying to stay as calm as he could while trying to understand his teammate.

"No, I didn't let them in because of that!" Glenn protested.

"Then why?" Daryl questioned.

"Because I found him sneaking around outside during lunch. He said he followed me but I don't believe him." Tara poured out.

"Why were _you_ out during lunch?" Rick looked at Tara, whose eyes went wide.

"That's not the point-"

"She was getting a poison oak leaf!" Glenn cut her off.

"It was you!?" Daryl said in shock, glaring at Tara, trying not to remember the horrible rash he had just a few days ago.

"Traitor!" Tara shot at Glenn.

"Yeah. It seems like we got a few traitors on this team - or what ever the hell you wanna call us... if there is still even an us." Shane stomped off.

"I really didn't mean for this to happen." Carol said as she kept her eyes planted on the ground.

"Sure didn't seem like that when you were flirting with the competition." Daryl said in his low grumbling voice.

Carol looked up at him shock. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out, instead she shook her head as she stared into his eyes for one last moment before she turned and walked away.

"Wow, way to be insensitive too, jerk! I think I might just hate you more than Ed now, and that's saying a lot." Tara huffed then followed Carol.

"Yeah, well nobody asked you anyway!" He shouted after Tara as she turned around and flipped him off before he headed in the opposite direction of her, towards his cabin, or where he assumed his cabin was.

"Glenn. I don't see this working." Maggie said quietly, seeing that is was just her, Michonne, Rick, and Glenn left.

"What? Why? Cause I don't fully see it your way?" Glenn questioned.

"No - maybe - I don't know. I just... just need some time. My friends need me." Maggie turned away and headed in the direction the other girls took.

"Wait Maggie, ple-" Glenn tried calling out but soon realized he wouldn't be able to turn her around.

Rick took a glance at Michonne then to Glenn. "You alright man?" Rick walked to Glenn and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"No... no I'm not." Glenn backed away, shaking his head as he too headed the way Shane and Daryl had.

Rick stood and watched as the last of his cabin mate's left. It was silent but the sound of others running around filled his ears and Michonne's. They said nothing to each other for a solid minute as they stared at the dirt ground below them. Then Michonne finally looked up as she stared at the side of Rick's face.

She was in shock. Michonne had just watched her team crumble like a piece of paper. It didn't make sense, they were stronger than this. Together they were unbreakable... or so it seemed. There was only one thing on Michonne's mind. " _We_ , we have to fix this." She finally broke the silence.

Rick nodded as he met her gaze. "Yeah. _We_ will." They shared the same worried look in their eyes. "Got any ideas?"

The corner of Michonne's lips curved up in a nervous smile. "Not a clue."

* * *

 _ **Okay I know this was a bad ending because everybody is hating on each other, but at least one good thing is coming out of this, Richonne! Yes, next chapter is for my Richonners, I'm really excited :). It has taken forever but now is the time where I want to focus on the romance a little more!**_

 _ **But what is going to happen with Glenn and Maggie? Daryl and Carol? THE WHOLE GROUP!?**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	11. Chapter 10: Not An Intervention

_**A/N- Hey guys, slight language warning but it's all towards Ed so it's all good. I hope you guys enjoy, like I mentioned last chapter there is Richonne in here. I know it took nine chapters and one prologue but hopefully it was worth the wait! This chapter also gets deep with a few of our teens so be prepared! Tell me what ya'll thought. I'd love to read your guys' reviews! Thanks to Acacia Rose Masen for helping me on this chapter!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Not An Intervention**

It was another extremely long day for Michonne. It was filled with more bickering and snide remarks from her teammates. She and Rick actually had to stop Shane and Tara before a fist fight broke out between the two. It seemed that for every minute that passed while the group was together the situation only got worse. Rick and Michonne definitely had work to get done, and lots of it.

As much as they didn't want to admit it, Abraham and Rosita were about ready to give up all hope on their team. Rosita came to the point where she thought it was necessary to call each of the kids' parents but Michonne reassured her leader that she had a plan… but she didn't.

It was 5:30 in the afternoon when Rick's tired eyes landed on a familiar figure, Michonne. She was rushing over to him. "Hey." He smiled in relief. "Thought you weren't coming."

"And leave you here all by yourself? Never." Michonne smiled too. "The girls kept questioning where I was going." She explained.

Rick nodded. "Ah. What did you tell them?"

"That I needed to get some air but then they all offered to come with so I told them I needed to get air away from them." Michonne stated. "We don't have much time, Kelly can tell when I'm lying and she was definitely eyeing me before I left."

"Kelly? How is she? I didn't see her for the games today." Rick questioned.

"She's still pretty down. You know? All you gotta do is tell Rosita you're not feeling good and you don't have to play for the games." Michonne said as she sat on a log.

"Yeah? If I told Abraham that, he'll make sure I don't feel good." Rick cringed at the thought of that.

"Mm." Michonne went into deep thought about what Abraham would do but then she remembered the reason why she and Rick decided to meet up. "Okay. What are we gonna do about our team?"

Rick took a seat beside Michonne. He picked up a long twig and began to make shapes out of the dirt. "We could… talk to each of them, tell them that the other is sorry without the others knowing."

Michonne shook her head. "That's too risky. It might backfire on _us_." She sighed then looked down at what Rick was drawling. "What's the heart for?"

Rick's eyes went wide, "Oh, it's- it's nothing." A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck and with his shoe he wiped away his creation. "So about the group… we could just sit them down. Talk to them, they need that. All of them. Even us."

"Us? We're not the crazy ones, Rick." Michonne smirked. "And I like that idea, sitting them down sounds good. We could ask a camp leader if we could use the cafeteria for the - what are we even calling this? An Intervention?"

"No. Mmm let's say it's… a meeting. A group meeting." Rick assured.

"Okay then, we'll need to ask someone if we could hold our 'group meeting' in the cafeteria. But who to ask?" Michonne thought aloud.

"What about Mrs. Deanna's husband?" Rick looked at Michonne. "Didn't Rosita say something about how Deanna's husband built this place, that he has the key to all rooms?"

"Where do we find him?" Michonne raised a questioning brow.

"Deanna's office, maybe." Rick shrugged.

"Where is that?" Michonne's brow went higher.

"We'll find it." Rick promised.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Rick, I don't know about this." Michonne stated as they stood in front of Mrs. Deanna's office. "Doesn't it seem kinda weird that we are coming to _her_ office and asking for _her_ husband?"

Rick thought about that. "I'll just say I can't get into my cabin and I need to get a jacket." Rick offered.

Michonne grabbed Rick's hand to stop him from knocking on the door. "Rick, it's 95 degrees out here. What would you need a jacket for? You'd die from a heat stroke."

"Fine, then we'll tell her the truth. Maybe she can help." He shrugged.

"No! If Rosita was _about_ to call our parents, what makes you think Deanna _won't_? She is way more strict than Rosita. The second we tell her she'll already be calling _our_ parents." Michonne pointed out.

Rick took a deep sigh. "You're right."

"Course I am." Michonne smiled when Rick looked at her and shook his head, a small smile of his own showing.

"Okay then. What do you propose we do?" Rick raised a brow.

"Easy, we wait for him." Michonne said as she walked over to a bench and patted the empty space beside her.

Again Rick smiled. He walked to the bench and gladly took the seat next to Michonne. "How long is this gonna take?"

"As long as it takes for Reg to show up. You already tired of me?" Michonne teased.

"I don't think I could get tired of you." Rick smiled and fought off the burning at the back of his neck.

"That's because you don't know me all that well, yet." Michonne pushed back some of her dread locks behind her shoulder.

"I know you're smart, you have a secret passion for photography, your heart is always in the right place… and you like to mess with me." Rick listed a few things off the top of his head but there was so much more that he could say about Michonne.

"All of those things are true." Michonne chuckled.

Rick looked over at her and got lost in her smooth dark skin, he could feel his mouth start to move and he was speaking before he was aware of what he was doing, "I really like yo- y-your smile." He just barely caught himself at the last second. Gosh it was really hot out, must explain why he could feel himself beginning to sweat.

"Thanks. I got it from my mom… well that's what my dad says." Michonne trailed off. She was pretty sure Rick liked her and that made her uncomfortable, especially since she liked him right back. She mentally gave herself a face palm and decided it was best to change that topic. "How are the guys?"

"You mean, how is Shane?" Rick raised a brow.

Michonne sighed, "Yeah. He kinda worries me."

"He could be better." Rick shrugged. "All he talks about is how he can't believe he said what he said to Kelly. I think he really likes her, and I've seen him with girls, Kelly is different."

Michonne nodded, "I'll mention that to her." She looked at the nearby cherry blossom trees and studied how they swayed from the warm summer breeze. "How did you and Shane become friends anyway?"

Rick thought for a minute, it was such a long time ago. "We went to the same day care - you know? It's a really long story."

Michonne glanced to Deanna's office door then turned back to Rick with a shrug. "I got the time." She smiled, knowing the story was probably something embarrassing for him.

"Great." Rick sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Like I said, it was day care. I was playin' with this red toy truck when Shane came along and snatched it from me. So, I tried to nicely ask him for it back but he wouldn't hand it over, said he was playin' with it now so I… I took matters into my own hands and… I jumped on his back and pulled his hair while he tried to fight me off him. Needless to say, the daycare called both our parents. As it happened, when our parents met they got along like they were all old friends. From there Shane's parents and mine thought it'd be a great idea to set up a play date so that we could learn to get along. It took a couple of these play dates for us to finally get passed how we met… but keep in mind Michonne, we were four and it was my toy car to begin with."

Michonne held back a laugh, "See that wasn't so bad to tell me, was it?" She gave him a genuine smile.

"Guess not. It's just not really the first thing you wanna tell a pretty girl." Rick shrugged.

"You think I'm pretty?" Michonne looked at him trying to hide her surprise. He had called her beautiful before but she thought he was just being nice. Pretty meant a lot to Michonne, she had never been called that by a guy.

"Well, uh- ye-yes. If that's alright with you." Rick stumbled over his words but felt more relaxed when Michonne smiled and nodded.

From the corner of her eye Michonne saw a man come around the corner. The man had hair as white as snow, glasses as round as Harry Potter's and a loop of keys hooked to his pants.

Michonne turned to Rick, "Is that him?"

Rick nodded then jumped up from the bench. "Excuse me? Sir?"

"Is there something I can help you with?" The man questioned.

"Are you Mr. Monroe?" Rick furrowed a brow.

"Yes." The man answered.

"Then yes. You can help us." Michonne spoke up. "Me and my friend here… we're on a mission."

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Michonne, why can't you just tell me where you're taking me?" Kelly whined as her friend dragged her along a path.

"Because if I told you, you wouldn't have come." Michonne stated right before she and Kelly stopped in front of a white door. "Now go inside."

Kelly gave Michonne a questioning look. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid but she sucked in a breath and slowly opened the door. "I swear if something pops out at me I- what the hell is this?" She bluntly questioned looking around the room that was filled with her teammates and two leaders.

"We brought you here to talk." Michonne pushed Kelly further into the room and closed the door. "We brought all of you here to talk."

"Who the hell is we?" Shane questioned as he tried not to look at Kelly.

"Rick and I." Michonne nodded to him.

"Yeah, we're a team and it's 'bout time we start acting like it." Rick took a seat in one of the last three chairs that were left in the large circle that he, Michonne, and Reg created.

Michonne quickly took a seat with Kelly, completing the circle. "We are here to just _talk._ I don't want any _fighting_." Michonne eyed everyone in the circle, especially Tara and Shane who both let out a grunt at the same time. When nobody said anything contradictory she continued, "Guys when we started here a couple weeks ago, we didn't know each other at all, well except for Rick and Shane, but we started to. And you know what was surprising? The fact that we all got along so well. We all just… clicked… and I don't know about you guys but I've never really been good at making friends especially since I'm homeschooled… acquaintances yeah sure I got about a dozen of those. The thing is guys we have more than just a summer friendship but we got to work for it because this is our family."

"Damn straight!" Abraham shouted, "I have never had a team so dysfunctional before."

"Dysfunctional?! You think we're dysfunctional?" Lori sat forward in her chair.

"Why do you have to go and ruin something good, Abe?" Rosita rubbed her temples.

"Michonne is absolutely right. Let's just get everything off our chests, we can start with Glenn." Rick turned to his younger teammate.

"Oh hell no! What is this? Some type of Dr. Phil shit?" Shane questioned.

"Ohmygod. Is this an intervention? Are we in an intervention?!" Lori gasped.

"No, no, don't think of it like that… it's more of a… a gathering." Rick looked at Michonne with a shrug as she nodded.

"A gathering I didn't want to come to." Daryl muttered.

Michonne side-eyed Daryl for a quick moment before she looked at her group. "It's healthy for us to open up to each other." Michonne tried in.

"What if I don't wanna be healthy?" Kelly muttered as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Too bad. Michonne is right." Abraham sat forward.

"We're talking about feelings? Fine. I feel like this was a stupid idea." Tara argued.

"Not feelings about this, feelings we have towards each other." Rick sighed.

"Fine. I think Shane's stupid." Tara huffed.

"I can say the same to you, Tara!" Shane shot back.

"Honestly, I could live without Shane and Tara fighting every two seconds… but I probably shouldn't say anything because nobody asked me." Kelly stated avoiding Shane's face at all cost.

"Kel- whatever." Shane sat deeper into his chair.

"Hey, I would like to apologize for anything that I've done and I hope I can get your guys' forgiveness because you all really mean a lot to me." Glenn spoke up.

"Wow, Glenn. That was nice." Michonne smiled at her younger group member, hoping that the others would see this as an opening to forgive and start sharing.

"Thanks… can I go now?" Glenn carefully asked.

"What? No." Rick shook his head, "Were you just saying that so you could leave? Where do you have to be that is so much more important than tryin' to help fix your group?"

"Yeah, Glenn. What else could be so important? What are you keeping from us?" Lori chimed in.

"I know, me and Kelly have been in the kitchen for the past few days and we _never_ see you get food for any meal. What are you doing that you can't tell us about?" Tara questioned.

"What I'm doing or not doing is definitely _not_ gonna help us all get on the same page." Glenn protested, and he had a point.

"Do you hear yourselves? All of us. Me, you." Maggie looked at her group. "Maybe we blew this out of portion. Maybe, we let the other team get in our heads. We gave them our strings an' they knew just how to tug 'em."

"We? You mean maybe Carol gave them our strings." Lori muttered.

"Or maybe we're acting completely reasonably." Tara shrugged.

"Abe." Rosita whispered to her co-leader, as he leaned in closer to her. "They're not gonna listen to us are they?"

"Not a chance. We'd be lucky if we got one syllable of a word in." He answered.

"I was thinking that too. I have a meeting with Deanna in a few minutes." Rosita looked at her wrist watch.

"I'll come with." Abe offered.

"I thought you hated Deanna's meetings." Rosita stated rather than questioned.

"I'd rather fight with Dawn than fight with our kids." He explained as the two got up and slowly made their way to the door.

"... and that's why I think Shane is a self centered, don't know right from left, two-timing, bald jerk!" Tara shouted out the last part of her 'theory' so that she could be heard over the other fights going on in the room.

"How dare you call me bald!" Shane shouted back.

"Wait! Where are you two going?" Michonne called out for her two leaders.

"We have a really important meeting we need to get to." Rosita explained.

"Even Abe?" Rick looked at his other leader hoping he would stay.

"Yeah, but it seems like you two got this under control." Abraham said to Rick and Michonne, just as Daryl finished dropping a few 'F' bombs.

With that the two leaders quickly left the room. The teens were in complete war with each other. Not only were the girls mad at the boys but the girls were now also mad at each other and the same with the boys. It was like dominoes falling and setting off others as it continued without an end. Finally Carol couldn't taking it any longer.

"Stop! Stop it! Just shut up! Obviously we're not ready to talk. And I'm not gonna watch this team burn itself alive." With that, Carol stood from her seat and walked out of the room as everyone filed out right behind her.

Michonne was almost on the verge of tears, "What is it gonna take Rick? Why do we even care so much? It's summer, it's not like we're ever gonna see these people again after this."

"Michonne, calm down." Rick walked over to her. "We have just over three weeks left, and I'm not gonna spend three more weeks listenin' to this crap… plus I go home with Shane and I'll probably never hear the end of it." He chuckled at the last part and so did Michonne.

"Okay, but what's our next move?"

"We'll figure something out." Rick reassured as he pulled her into a hug.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The next day the teams got paired up and were preparing for the games. Abraham could see his team was still falling apart and he had no idea what to do. He had never had a group comprised of such stubborn, headstrong individuals before and he felt completely helpless. _Everyone_ was mad and _no one_ was willing to sincerely apologize. Abraham truly hated to admit it but maybe they needed to split the group up into other teams.

"Glenn." Kelly slowly walked over to her teammate. "You're kinda the only one I don't mind right now, you wanna be my partner?"

"Sure. You okay?"

"Just a headache. I'll be fine." She promised, again Glenn just nodded and patted her back.

"Hey, Maggie. Is it cool if we partner up?" Rick questioned.

"Hmm, you're not gonna ask Michonne?" Maggie folded her arms before her and raised a brow.

"Oh uh- well, I was already her partner this week." Rick cringed. "But I haven't been with you yet."

"Yeah, that's how you boys are, willing to go to the next girl at the first chance." Maggie looked over to where Glenn and Kelly stood.

Rick followed Maggie's gaze and his eyes almost popped out his head. "What? Maggie, no! Glenn likes _you_. A fight isn't gonna change that."

Maggie turned back to Rick with a skeptical look on her face. "Fine. I'll be your partner."

"Carol!" Shane waved her over.

She breathed a sigh and walked over to him. "You don't have to ask. We're the only two left." Carol pointed out.

"I wasn't gonna ask." Shane protested keeping his voice low. "You gonna hold up your end of the game?"

Carol raised a brow. "Don't worry about me." She bluntly stated then headed off to where Rosita was assigning games to each pair.

 _ **Summer…Summer...Summer**_

The games started with Rick and Maggie. They were doing a circuit race that started off with a three-legged race, followed by a potato sack race, and ended with an egg run. To win they needed to finish first.

"Hey, I got the ties." Rick shook the rope in his hand around. "Give me your leg." He motioned her over. She walked over to Rick's side and lined up her left leg with his right, then Rick looped the rope around his and Maggie's ankles, tying the rope off in a secure slip knot. "You okay?"

"Lets just… focus on the game."

Rick shook his head, "Maggie, we're tied together for that next few minutes. Talk to me. Is it Glenn?"

"I just- I don't know. Yes, but it's also with our group."

"Broken things can be fixed, and you have nothing to worry about with Glenn, he really likes you."

"Gosh, I haven't even talked to him since the fight."

"He's giving you your space, Maggie. My mom always tells me, everything that's meant to be finds its way. Whatever happens it will work out in the end. I promise."

Maggie stared at the side of Rick's face. "You're wise for a 15 year old."

"I get that a lot." Rick shrugged.

With that Rick and Maggie made there way to the start line. Once the whistle blew they took off. Hobbling their way to the finish line with Enid and Gareth hot on their tail, Rick wrapped his arm tighter around Maggie and pushed on.

Maggie picked up her speed and held on to Rick just as tight as he held her. They quickly finished as Rick easily pulled the rope from their ankles. He and Maggie both rushed to get into each of their own potato sacks and began hopping. They were ahead but not by much. Maggie took a few tumbles but made it out alive with all four limbs still intact.

Next to do was the egg run. Two referees handed Rick and Maggie a spoon with the egg on top of then the two took off and went through the very curvy obstacle course carefully, with the intentions of not dropping their egg, or else they would have to start all over again.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Kelly gave a deep sigh. The one day she had a headache was the day she would be playing a game that required thinking. She and Glenn were playing life sized jenga. Whichever partners got their tower the highest in 10 minutes without it falling down, won.

It was one minute into the game and Kelly was still deciding which block she should move out first. She wasn't in a rush since her competitors were Nick and Gabriel. She figured she was smarter than the two of them combined, even with a headache.

"Kelly what's our first move?!" Glenn asked, his anxiety showing.

"Stop pacing and maybe I'll be able to think." Kelly turned to her teammate. "Take this middle one and put it on the top."

Glenn nodded and delicately slid the block Kelly pointed to, out, then he took a few steps up on a ladder and placed the block on the top.

"Good, good! The far left one, that should be next!" She directed.

"On it!" Glenn assured, wiggling out the second block and again placed it at the top. "Nice Kelly. What next?"

"I'll get one from the other side, you take that one on the right." Kelly ordered as she ran to another side of the jenga tower and grabbed a block then tossed it to Glenn. "We make a good team!" Kelly smiled as she worked on getting another block out.

"Yeah! Better than the rest of us." Glenn stated while making sure he placed the blocks on top as carefully as he could. "I have a question, if you don't mind me asking." Glenn glanced down at Kelly from his place on the ladder.

"Go for it. What's the question?" Kelly called back as she punched a block out of its slot causing the jenga tower to sway slightly.

"Does Maggie… talk about me? I mean, has my name come up at all?" Glenn hated to ask. He didn't want to sound desperate but at this point, that's all he was.

"Glenn, you were her boyfriend. Her FIRST boyfriend - even if it was only for two weeks. Of course she talks about you." Kelly shrugged.

"Is it bad? Does she hate me?" Glenn questioned fearfully.

"I haven't really talked to her about you but I don't think she hates you. Stop worrying." Kelly carefully threw another block up to Glenn when she was sure he was looking.

"You're probably right." Glenn took a deep breath in and released it.

"Besides, you and Maggie are both teens and it's summer. It's not like y'all are gonna get married or something. If you and Maggie don't work out, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. You'll find someone new." Kelly assured.

Glenn just nodded hesitantly. Kelly's reassurance didn't make him feel any better, it actually made him feel worse. Maybe it was him high off of the emotions of his first relationship or maybe it was Maggie herself but Glenn didn't want anyone else. He wanted Maggie.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Shane and Carol had finished their game for the day. It was a challenging outdoor volleyball match against Ed and Alisha which they won. Shane hated to admit it but he was glad Carol was his partner, she kept up her side of the court plus she had the best spike he had ever seen but he would never admit that to her.

After the game Shane helped take down the volleyball net and put the rest of the equipment inside a duffle bag and began to walk it over to the ref's golf cart. Up ahead on the path to the golf cart Carol stood with Ed. Subconsciously Shane rolled his eyes and let out a growl, she was literally fraternizing with the enemy and he just didn't understand it.

The two were still pretty far up the path so Shane shuffled the bag on his shoulder and kept his eyes on the ground since it looked like they were flirting and he'd rather not witness their lovey dovey moment or he might just be sick. What did Carol even see in Ed? It was beyond all that Shane could comprehend. He cleared his mind and stared at the dirt ground he walked on as he awkwardly continued forward.

"You looked good playin', sugar."

Carol forced a smile, "Thanks Ed. You looked good too."

"Of course I did." Again, he smiled making a shiver go up Carol's spine. "So you ready for the night rally? They light up these lanterns that are almost as pretty as you."

"Yeah, it sounds great!" Carol nodded and again plastered a smile on her face.

Ed took a few steps closer to Carol and ran his hand up Carol's arm. "You know, I was thinkin'... maybe we could-"

"Go together?" Carol finished for him.

"Yeah, and… I was thinkin' we could do a little smooching." Ed ran his other hand across Carol's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Smooching?" She questioned as she silently thought, _who uses the word smooching any more?_

"Maybe we could start the smooching now." Ed puckered his lips and moved towards her.

Carol's eyes slightly widened as she moved her head dodging Ed's kiss. "Well umm-" From the corner of Carol's eye she could see Shane walking their way and all she could do was pray for him to walk faster so she could have a reason to leave.

"What's wrong? You nervous?" Ed raised a brow.

Carol shook her head "It's just I-I-umm-"

"You don't wanna kiss me, that it?" When Carol softly pulled way she slightly shrugged.

"I just don't think I'm ready." Carol bit her bottom lip, hoping Ed would respect that and leave her alone.

"Don't worry I can lead you through it." Again Ed captured Carol in his arms.

"I don't need leading Ed. I'm just not ready." She tried to push him way but this time she was unable to.

"Carol, I've waited too long for this, kiss me already." Ed's voice got deeper and his grip around her got tighter.

Carol saw a flame light up in Ed's eyes and it scared her, thankfully Shane was getting closer. All she needed to do was escape Ed's grip of death. "Ed, please. Let me go."

Shane's head snapped up when he heard Carol tell Ed to release her. Carol didn't sound like she was flirting and, trust him, he definitely knew what flirting sounded like. It almost looked as if she was afraid… but why should he care? It's not like Carol was his friend and if anything she was the one who got herself into that situation. Still, Shane was raised better than to walk away from someone who sounded like they were in trouble and he found himself slowing down to try and hear more of the conversation.

"Stop playing games. I know you want this Carol. Just give it to me."

"No Ed, n-"

"Hey dumbo ears! I'm shocked you didn't hear the first time but she said _no_." Shane cut in.

"Look, superman to the rescue. Last time I checked he had hair." Ed snickered.

"Just take your hands off her." Shane growled.

"This ain't your problem and this ain't your girl."

"No, but she's apart of _my_ team and last time I checked, I told you not to touch _my_ team."

"Yeah? You mean the team that fights every two seconds?" Ed loosened his grip and pushed Carol back with some force, almost knocking her to the ground, and that's when Shane dropped the duffel bag that was around his shoulder.

Shane felt something spark deep down in the pit of his stomach and before he knew it he was face to face with Ed. Nothing was stopping his fist that was already flying at Ed and now the fight was on.

It only took one punch and already Shane had busted Ed's lip. With his other hand Shane grabbed a chunk of Ed's shirt and pushed him down to the ground. "You like that? You disgusting pig!" Shane growled while he pounded his fists into Ed's face.

Shane could feel Carol trying to pull him off of Ed but she wasn't strong enough. In a split second Ed managed to grab a hold of Shane and tossed him to the side and rolled on top of him.

After taking a few punches in the face from Ed, Shane could hear Carol yelling but he payed no attention to what was said. Taking in a huff of air and with all his might, he pushed the heavier boy off of him. He punched Ed in the nose and quickly Shane stood over him.

"I swear you touch her like that again an' I promise you it won't be pretty!" Shane spat on Ed and began to kick him in the stomach before he felt a strong grip pull him back.

"Enough!" Abraham's voice rang loud and clear as he pulled Shane away from Ed, "Atta boy. You just walk it off champ." Abe said in a hushed voice to his camper as he patted Shane on the back.

"Abe, I'm gonna take Peletier to Doctor Denise, I already called Mrs. Monroe and Mr. Blake over!" The ref stated as he helped Ed into the golf cart and sped off.

"Thanks Carter!" Abe waved then turned his attention to Carol. "What happened?"

Carol shook her head and shrugged. Her eyes were watery and she was a little shaky from witnessing the fight. Before she could speak, Deanna and Phil showed up in a golf cart of their own.

"Ford, why is Ed Peletier on his way to the camp doctor?" Mr. Phil questioned as the one eyebrow he had, arched.

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Abe answered.

"Mr. Walsh, do you care to enlighten us?" Mrs. Deanna turned to the boy whose nose was slightly bleeding.

Shane spared a glance at Carol then looked back to the adults, "Ed wasn't keeping his hands to himself with Carol - even after she said no. I stepped in and did what I did." He briefly explained.

"Are you alright Carol?" Mr. Phil gave her a concerned look.

Carol nodded. "Because of Shane I am."

Before they could continue a loud voice interrupted them.

"I should have known!" The voice of Dawn Lerner sounded off as she came walking fiercely over to where Abe stood with the camp directors. "Whenever Abraham is around a fight always starts! I knew you should have kept a better eye on your wild kids because now one of mine is in the medic room." She yelled.

Milton nodded, "Yeah-"

"Shut it, Milton." Dawn snapped.

"Nice try Dawn, but my kid didn't start it this time… but he sure as hell finished it."

"Mr. Ford are you suggesting violence was necessary in this case?" Mrs. Deanna cut in, raising a brow.

Abe's eyes widened a bit. "Uh-tha-that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean Abraham?" Dawn questioned, getting a kick out of how Abraham was starting to turn red.

"Can't you mind your own business, woman." Abe raised his voice.

"Not when you bring my kid into this." Dawn sneered.

"Bring your kid into this?" Abe questioned incredulously. "Maybe your boy should keep his hands to himself!" Abraham suggested.

"I could say the same about yours!" Dawn narrowed her eyes.

"I don't have ta stand here an' listen to this cr-" Before Abraham could finish he was cut off by the sound of a horn. "What the-"

They all turned to see a golf cart driving at the speed of light toward them. The horn continued to sound off even after the person driving drove over a curb, almost causing the whole golf cart to flip over. Abruptly, the cart came to a stop just inches before hitting someone as Rosita jumped out of the drivers seat.

"Carol! Shane!" The horrified leader ran over to her teens and pulled the both of them into a hug. "Are you hurt? What happened? Who started it? I came as fast as I could, I was so worried!" She looked over her kids then turned to Abraham, "Why is Shane's nose bleeding? He needs a doctor!"

"I'm fine." Shane assured.

"They're not babies Rosita." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You keep your mouth shut Dawn, it seems I'm the only one who cares about the kids' well being!"

"Now that's not true, Rosita. We all care about the children in this camp." Mr. Blake reassured.

"Speaking of children, we have enough around here so quit arguing like them." Deanna ordered, mostly towards Abraham and Dawn.

"Yes, now on with punishments. For you Mr. Walsh, we have zero tolerance for violence and seeing as you threw the first punch, we'll have to send you home." Mr. Phil started only to be interrupted.

"What? No!" Carol spoke up as the adults turned to her. "Send me home. The fight wouldn't have started if it wasn't for me."

Shane shook his head. "No, Carol. I can take my punishment, it was what I did, not you."

"If anyone should go home it should be Ed. He's been here multiple years, he should know the rules by now." Abraham butted in.

"Shane was defending his teammate and himself. We shouldn't punish him for that." Rosita pointed out.

"Well Shane took it to far." Dawn stepped in.

"Well, this actually concerns what happened to Carol." Mr. Phil spoke up.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn demanded before seeming to realize who she was talking to, "Uh, sir."

"It seems that Mr. Peletier was too handsy with Miss Owen and he wouldn't leave her alone when she told him too." Mrs. Deanna explained.

Dawn appeared shocked, "I didn't know."

"Yeah, you didn't." Rosita stated in bothered tone while still holding on to Carol and Shane.

"You know what!" Deanna put her hands up. "Here's what we're going to do. Mr. Blake and I will come up with a punishment for Mr. Peletier once he's cleared by the camp doctor. Mr. Ford, you will give Mr. Walsh a punishment because he did use physical violence and that is still unacceptable. For now, I will personally call both of their parents to inform them on this recent incident. Report back to us when you figure out Mr. Walsh's punishment." With that both directors got into their golf cart and sped off. Dawn and Milton also left after that, probably to check up on Ed.

Abraham turned to Shane and studied the boy's face while trying to think of a punishment, "We should get a wrestling program started here at the camp and put you in it." Again, Abe patted Shane's back.

Rosita shook her head at Abraham's ideas. "They could get hurt, Abe. And you got to start thinking of that punishment." Rosita said as she quickly turned and got Shane and Carol situated in the golf cart then began to drive off, slowly seeing as how she was still parked on the curb.

"Where are you taking them?" Abraham called out to her.

"To get checked out by the doctor, of course." Rosita replied as a groan escaped both Carol and Shane. She quickly drove off after that leaving Abe where he was standing.

As he watched them drive away, a thought made its way to the forefront of his head.

"Where did she get that golf cart?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Can you believe we have to leave the very second our game ends just to come help out in the kitchen for our stupid punishment." Tara sighed as she opened the door to the cafeteria and made her way to the kitchen alongside Kelly.

"Tara you say the same line every time we walk in here." Kelly shook her head.

"Well sorry for being depressed. You know, I don't even get excited for meals anymore and I _love_ food!" A spark of fear came over Tara from that realization.

Kelly nodded as she opened the door to the kitchen, "I know righ- Shane?"

"What is baldie locks doing in here?" Tara furrowed a brow. When Shane just shook his head Tara knew something was wrong. "No come back? Did someone die?"

"Almost." Abraham laughed but got serious when Mary gave him a look. Abe cleared his throat, "Guess I'll be going then. I'll come back during dinner." With that Abraham left the kitchen.

"Get your equipment on and I'll be back in a few minutes I have to get some things." Mary directed as she left the kitchen.

"Wait… you're gonna be working in here too?" Kelly raised a brow.

"Looks like it." Shane looked up from the ground to his two teammates.

"At least you don't need a hair net." Tara shrugged as she and Kelly began to put on theirs.

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Shane stated as he put on some gloves.

"What are you in for anyways?" Tara raised a brow.

"I fought with Ed." He answered.

Tara made a face. "We all fight with Ed."

"Well, yeah, he's a douche. But I meant that I punched his face in a couple times."

"What?! Why?" Kelly's eyes widened, even she was surprised at how concerned she sounded.

"He wouldn't quit touching Carol. She told him no but he wouldn't leave her alone. I went over there to tell him to stop and that asshole pushed her and she almost fell and that's when I lost. Oh and I kicked his stomach a few times too, but I'm sure you can see the dickwad got a few lucky punches in too." Shane shrugged.

"What?!" Both Tara and and Kelly simultaneously gasped.

"That's horrible! Where is she now?" Kelly asked.

"Back at the cabin. Rosita's with her." He explained.

"Good. She can comfort her. You should've seen her after Lori nearly drowned the other week. Oh and when we thought we lost Daryl, Rosita almost lost her mind." Kelly told him.

Shane just nodded before an awkward silence fell over the room. It was broken by a sniffle from Tara which caused Kelly to look over.

"Tara? Are you okay?" Kelly reached out for her friend's shoulder but before she could actually reach it Tara moved over to Shane and wrapped her arms around him.

Shane stood with his hands at his side as he and Kelly shared the same confused expression while Tara sniffled into Shane's shirt, her arms still tightly wrapped around him. "Umm what are you doing?" Shane questioned.

"I'm hugging you, you idiot." Tara stated.

Shane glanced at Kelly who was still just as confused as him. "Um, yeah… but why?"

"Cause you punched Ed, that's something we all wanted to do from day one." She said burrowing her head further into Shane's chest.

Kelly looked skeptical. After this week of working in the kitchen together, she could tell the younger girl wasn't exactly being fully honest. "Tara? Are you sure that's why you're crying?" Kelly furrowed a brow.

It was silent for a moment, and both Shane and Kelly wondered if Tara was going to even answer Kelly's question. "I just wish there was someone to protect my sister." Tara said still holding onto Shane and that's when a realization came over Kelly.

"That's why she's pregnant, isn't it?" When Tara nodded against Shane's chest Kelly could feel a few tears slide down her face and suddenly her heart felt heavy.

It took Shane a moment to make sense of this information but now he understood. He wrapped his arms around Tara and hugged her back reassuringly. Kelly watched the two, tears still streaming down her face, when Shane looked over to her and caught her eye. He carefully shifted Tara to his side and held his left arm out for Kelly so that she could join the hug. Kelly wiped some tears away as she walked over and joined her _friends'_ embrace. The three stood together in silence comforting each other.

Mary returned with a handful of cans, one slipped out and hit the tile floor making a noise that caused the three teens to break their embrace. "What happened? I was only gone for three minutes." Mary looked confused at the teens.

Shane cleared his throat. "Nothin'. Let's get to work."

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The night had set, dinner was over, and the stars were out. Lanterns of all sizes dangled from tree branches and lit up pathways to the large open field where the campers would be celebrating their three weeks at camp and the end of partner games. They were also celebrating the start of team games leading up to the final game for camp. The bonfire in the center was lit with a station to the side where you could get marshmallows and hot dogs to roast. A cotton candy machine was up and running along with a buffet table filled with desert. The garden was lit with holiday lights and that's where Glenn found Maggie who was looking over the fountain.

"Hey." Glenn stood beside her keeping his eyes on the fountain as well.

"Hey." Maggie glanced at him once.

He sighed and turned towards her. "Maggie, I really need to talk to you."

Maggie nodded and turned to face Glenn, ready to listen to what he had to say when something behind him caught her eye. "Umm, not now Glenn."

Glenn shook his head. "Look, I think what I have to say is important-"

"Okay, then we can talk about it later." Maggie stated still looking at what caught her eye. "What's going on over there?" Maggie furrowed a brow and when Glenn turned to see what she was talking about his eyes landed on his teammates Shane, Tara, and Kelly. He was about to turn and tell her to just leave them be when Maggie came into his line of sight as she made her way towards the three. Glenn did nothing but sigh as he followed right behind her.

"What's going on over here?" Maggie asked when she finally reached them.

"We made up." Kelly informed her as she rested a hand on Shane's shoulder and the other on Tara's.

"You made up?" Maggie raised a brow.

Glenn studied them carefully. "Why?"

Shane sighed, "This is what happened, me and Ed got in a fist fight 'cause he wasn't treating Carol right. He was holding onto her and when she told him to let go, he didn't. That's when I stepped in and broke his nose."

"Don't forget you also kicked his stomach in a few times." Tara added gleefully with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Yeah, did that too." Shane smirked.

"He better watch out because if I see him a broken nose is gonna be the least of his worries. I'm gonna skin him like the pig he is." Maggie narrowed her eyes.

"Oh good, I'm not first on the list anymore." Glenn sighed in relief.

Maggie looked over to him. "I was never gonna skin you. Is that what you thought?" She asked with a touch of guilt in her voice.

"Oh uh, course not." Glenn rubbed the back of his neck, trying to play it off like he hadn't been worried about that at all.

A smile tugged at the corner of Maggie's lip before she looked back to Shane. "So where's Carol? Is she around here?"

"No, she's just gonna get some rest for the night." He answered.

"Oka-"

"No, no, no, no! Please not tonight!" Michonne came running up to her group with Rick at her side. "Guys this is a party and there are innocent kids that are _younger_ than us around! So please no fighting!" She pleaded, cupping her hands together.

"Yeah, you all can go back to hating each other in the mornin' but now is our time to relax." Rick calmly explained.

The group just stared silently back at them as Michonne was almost on the verge of tears again. Kelly went over and hugged her friend. "It's okay Mich! We're okay. We're all actually on the same page for once. We've made up!"

Michonne pulled away. "What? How? Why?" She skeptically asked, not daring to hope that this was actually true.

"Is this a trick? 'Cause we're not falling for it." Rick stepped in. "You don't have to lie to us, we're not forcing you guys into another intervention right now."

"I thought that was a gathering." Glenn said to himself out loud.

"Me too." Tara furrowed a brow.

Shane stepped forward, grabbing his best friend's and Michonne's attention. "Last time I'm gonna say this, Ed and I got in a beat down. I punched him a few times _and_ kicked him-"

"What?" Michonne said in shock.

"Why doesn't anyone let me finish?" Shane threw his hands up. "It was-"

"Probably the most epic thing we never got to see!" Tara cut in. Shane simply raised a brow at her causing Tara to lightly shrug, "Sorry but it probably was." Rick's eyebrows rose in slight shock when it registered that _Tara actually sounded genuinely apologetic towards Shane_.

Shane just shook his head and continued, "Anyway, that happened because he was tryna kiss Carol an' wouldn't let her go, then he pushed her back when I told him to let go. I couldn't jus' let him do that ta her. What you said earlier Michonne, about us being a _team_ , a _family_. It really did get to me. All I had was Rick, but now I have Glenn, Daryl, you girls. It's different." Shane shrugged realizing how deep he was getting. "But we're okay now." He cleared his throat.

"Okay." Rick nodded, anger clearly showing. "Ed's gonna get what's coming to him, even if my fist is the only thing comin' to him."

"Trust me, that's not the only thing comin' to him." Maggie said folding her arms across her chest.

"What are you losers talkin' 'bout?" Daryl said in his usual gravely voice.

Everyone froze as they all simultaneously thought the same thing. _Shit we have to tell Daryl._

"What? Why are you all givin' me that look?" Daryl growled.

"Daryl… we have to tell you something." Tara said, being the only brave-enough person to speak up.

"Okay… what?" He questioned hesitantly.

Tara looked over to Shane who just shook his head. "I've told the story four times already. I'm done." He said moving slightly closer to Daryl.

Then Tara looked over to Kelly who sighed. She was the one closest to Daryl, maybe it was best if it came from her. "Okay… um. See what happened was, Shane was walking on a path-"

"Speed this up Kelly." Michonne cut her off.

"Okay then how about you tell it." Kelly gestured for her friend to continue the story.

Michonne's eyes widened. "No I'm good."

Kelly nodded. "Then don't complain Mich."

"Can you just get on with it. Why do I even have to hear about Shane walkin' on a damn path?" Daryl groaned.

"Because it's important… well not the path, ugh! Telling a story is hard..." Kelly focused herself and took a deep breath. "Shane saw Ed and Carol together, he thought they were flirting or whatever but when he got closer he could hear Carol telling Ed to let go of her, but he wouldn't. Then Shane came up to them and told Ed to let her go-"

"Did he let go?" Daryl questioned, anger causing his voice to change.

Kelly swallowed hard and nodded. She could see Daryl's knuckles getting white as he balled his hands into fists. "Yes, but when he did he pushed her back and she almost fell. That's when Shane punched Ed's face and kicked Ed to the ground." Kelly felt that that's where she should stop since Daryl was fuming with rage.

"How-Wha- Where is he?!" Daryl took a step toward Kelly, who stepped back. "Where?!" He growled.

"I-I don't know! Daryl, please, calm down!" Kelly pleaded.

"How can I? I'm gonna kill that bastard!" Daryl turned but before he could storm off both Shane and Rick lunged out and grabbed him pulling him back and turned him to face the group as he tried to fight them off.

"Daryl you can't kill him, you'll be arrested!" Glenn came up and grabbed Daryl by the collar of his shirt to keep him from moving too much.

"I don't care!" Daryl growled as he tried to free himself but together the three boys were stronger than him. "Get off me!"

"No, you can't do this. Not now at least!" Rick shouted as he fought back against Daryl's strength.

"Come on, think with your head Daryl! I know you have a brain in there!" Tara yelled over the boys' shouting.

Daryl paused in his fight to get free and furrowed a brow at Tara. Why was she acting like that? Like she wasn't mad at him. Like the past week never happened. Like they were friends again. Why did everyone seem okay? "This ain't okay. He's gonna pay for this."

"Yes he is but not right this moment. Daryl, please." Michonne started in.

"Okay! Fine! Let me go then." Daryl's voice became calmer and more leveled and the other boys glanced at one another to determine if they should let him go or not.

"Promise you won't go after Ed." Glenn spoke up.

"Promise." Daryl said in an annoyed tone. He yanked his arms away when the guys' grips loosened. "So, where's Carol? Can I see her?"

"She's with Rosita getting some rest." Kelly answered.

Daryl nodded. "What are we gonna do? He's not getting away with this."

"Deanna and Phil are picking his punishment when he gets better." Shane assured.

"When he gets better? From what?" Daryl wrinkled his brows.

"Well if you payed attention to the story, Shane beat him up." Kelly stated.

Tara quickly cut in, "Pretty good too, I hear he was unconscious at the end."

A satisfied smile tugged on Daryl's lips as he turned to Shane. "Did you get him in the nose?"

"Just like you told me." Shane nodded.

Daryl nodded too. "Good. Thanks for that."

"Yea-"

"Guys! Guys!" Lori came running full speed at them. She bumped into Glenn, who caught her before she fell. "Oh, sorry Glenn! Thanks." The girl quickly adjusted herself.

"What's wrong Lori?" Michonne worriedly questioned.

Lori held up her index finger as she tried to catch her breath. She took a deep breath in before releasing it. "Did you guys hear about what happened with Carol? I know we're all mad at each other and some of you guys aren't talking but I don't give a damn! One of us was hurt by that… that… that motherfucker and I'm not just gonna keep my mouth shut and let him get away with only some punishment for when he gets better. We have to get Ed back, who's with me?!"

It was silent for a moment as they all stared at Lori in shock for her language before Kelly finally spoke up. "We all are."

"I'm not taking no for an ans- wait, what?" Lori stopped herself.

"We're all with you." Rick assured.

"Wait… why are you all- what did I miss?" She looked around her group.

"Everything." Tara smirked as Lori's mouth fell agape. "But the gist of it is we've all made up, we're friends again, and definitely not letting that _motherfucker_ get away with what he tried to do to our Carol."

"How did you find out about Carol?" Glenn asked.

"I heard it from a friend, who heard it from her leader, who heard it from another leader, who heard it from Abraham." Lori simply explained. "By the way, Abraham seems to be pretty serious about that wrestling team." Lori said with a smirk in Shane's direction.

"Wow. News travels fast." Maggie thought out loud.

"It's summer camp. Everybody knows everything." Lori shrugged.

"Well I'm glad we're on the same page for once." Rick spoke up.

"Me too." Tara nodded. "You and Michonne did have a part in it too, so thanks."

"It was more Michonne than me." Rick shrugged, smiling at Michonne.

Kelly raised a brow. "Mmhmm. But really, Like Michonne said, we're a family now." Everyone nodded in agreement.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The night rally was now in full swing. Deanna and Phil both gave motivational speeches to the campers, even some leaders went on the stage and spoke. Mini games were being played and kids ran around every. Michonne went off on her own taking in all the sights and doing some exploring, she even got lost a few times but asked for directions from some other campers. She enjoyed the warm summer night's breeze but as she turned onto a lit path she saw Rick and Daryl heading her way.

"Hey Michonne. Where did you go off to?" Rick asked.

"Just walked around." She answered. "How about you two?"

"The same." Rick stated.

Michonne nodded as Rick began to nod too. They didn't look away from each other until Daryl cleared his throat. "I should… probably go, have a lot to plan for Ed." They both nodded to Daryl as he turned and walked way.

"Sooo." Rick turned back to Michonne.

"So?" She smiled.

"Beautiful night." Rick looked up to the star filled sky.

Michonne held back her laugh, he was trying and that was nice. "Yeah… I guess it is." She said looking up, too, as she looked over the natural twinkling lights from above. When she lowered her gaze back down, her eyes met the most intense color of blue she'd ever seen. "Umm- well at least we have our group back." She smiled.

"Yeah. All because of you."

"Hey, you helped too." She patted his arm.

Rick shrugged but before he could say anything one of the older campers came up to them.

"Hey Michonne!"

"Hey Heath." Mich smiled.

"I like your hair like that, it looks pretty." He smiled at her.

Michonne froze. "Oh, thanks." She fiddled with the ends of her dreadlocks.

"Alright, see you around." Again he smiled to her then nodded to Rick as he left.

"Who is Heath?" Rick questioned eyeing the older boy as he walked away.

"He was one of the juniors we played against for capture the flag." Michonne explained.

Rick nodded in understanding. "You like him?" He dreaded to ask that since he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"No - um… he's not really my type." Michonne shrugged.

"Oh good- I mean cool... so, uh, what is your type- if you don't mind me asking." Rick trailed off.

Michonne lifted a brow. "Oh just, you know, shy southern boys with piercing blue eyes."

"Good, I got a chance then." Rick winked at her which made her laugh.

"We'll see about that Grimes." She teased.

"Michonne," Rick reached out for her arm and grabbed it softly. "I'm not one to let go of somethin' if I know it's worth holding on to."

She smiled. "I hope I'm worth holding onto then."

"I think you are." He said before he moved closer to her and kissed her cheek.

When Rick pulled back Michonne grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "Well I think you are too." Letting go of his hand she moved hers to the side of his face, then pulled him in closer to her as she kissed his lips.

* * *

 ** _Oh shit! Hehehehe ;) Caryl next chap, that's all I have to say... oh and more Richonne!_**

 ** _Yes I am apart of the fandom that is in denial about Glenn #StillAlive!_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	12. Chapter 11: Carol's Confession

**_OHMYGOD! Can I just say you all had me and my sisters dying in laughter with your reviews! I love and appreciate all of you who support this story it truly means everything to me! And about Morgan, I do want to write him in here but I want to bring him into the story in a cool way rather than just throwing him in but I am excited to find a way so thank-you for reminding me. :)_**

 ** _As promised, we got some Caryl and Richonne and a tiny Shelly part (Shane and Kelly). Hope you enjoy! And please leave a review on what your favorite part was. ;)_**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Carol's Confession**

Carol's eyes fluttered open to the summer's sun shining through the window directly hitting her in the face. She shut her eyes tight and let out a yawn as she sat up and stretched. When she opened her eyes back up, she noticed how silent and still it was inside her cabin - she didn't even hear Tara snoring. Carol got off her bed and looked at the other bunks in the room... they were all empty. No one was even in her cabin. Rosita and the girls were nowhere in sight. Carol gasped as she ran across the room to where Rosita's bed side table was and picked up the clock. It read '8:32 a.m.' and that's when her heart began to race.

"Oh no! How long did I sleep?! Why didn't they wake me?!" Carol panicked.

Quickly running back to the other side of the room to the shared closet, Carol ripped off her pajamas and quickly pulled on the clothes she'd wear for the day. Once she gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror she ran out of the cabin and headed for her destination, the cafeteria.

Carol caught her breath once she reached the closed doors to the cafeteria. Looking through the window to all of her fellow campers, the memory of what happened with her and Ed the other day hit her like a brick wall. She sucked in a breath of air and cleared her mind. _It's a new day. Let it go._ She told herself repeatedly as she walked through the doors.

Immediately she felt eyes on her as the level of laughter faded and quiet whispers picked up. Carol kept her gaze to the floor she walked on. _Holy shit._ She kept repeating to herself. _How many people found out? I'm so dead. My team hates me, I'm gonna hate hearing those four words they'll say when I see them, 'I told you so'._ Carol bit her lip as she managed to walk all the way to the lunch line and she came face to face with her 'hero'.

"Oh great." Carol sighed. "They have you working in here?" She gave Shane an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about me, how are you? You good?" He asked while putting the eggs and bacon that he had set aside for her and the rest of their friends on her plate.

"Yeah. Shane, thank-you, for stepping in like that. It means a lot to me." She gave him a smile as he nodded.

"Oh, Michonne's comin' over." Shane nodded to their approaching teammate.

Carol turned, already dreading any snag remark Michonne threw her way. "Michon-"

Carol was cut off when Michonne pulled her into a hug. "I was so worried!" Michonne said once she pulled back.

Carol furrowed a brow. That was definitely not the four words she was expecting. "You were? Why?"

This time Michonne raised her brow. "Why _wouldn't_ I be? Carol, take a walk with me."

Carol picked up her plate and waved her goodbye to Shane as Michonne pulled her through the tables filled with kids until they stopped in front of a round table smack dab in the middle of the cafeteria. The same table that she used to sit at with Daryl, Kelly, and Michonne herself. The table that was now filled with her teammates.

"Carol!" Lori sighed her relief. "I'm glad you're okay!" Again not the four words Carol expected to hear. Lori stood and hugged Carol in the same fashion Michonne had.

Now Carol was more confused. Just the other day Lori called her a liar and a traitor but now she was glad that she was okay… something was going on. "Oh, uh…" When Lori released her from the hug, Carol looked to the others sitting down. Why were they all smiling at her? Why did Tara look like she was about to cry? What was happening?! "I'm really confused." Carol bluntly stated as she slowly took a seat on the bench next to Kelly.

"We heard what happened." Kelly explained as she gave Carol a side hug. "I'm sorry."

Carol sighed. "I'm fine." She promised.

"I'm glad you are." Rick reached across the table and held her hand giving her a reassuring squeeze. "But Ed is gonna get what's comin' to him."

Carol just nodded giving Rick a quick smile. "Are we… all okay?" Carol turned to the quietest of her team members as he made eye contact immediately.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he looked into her eyes. She said she was fine but Daryl knew it was a lie and that she said it because it's the easiest thing to say in a hard time, he would know, he'd been in those situations as well. But he could see she was being brave for their group. Sitting across the table wasn't close enough for him. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her she was going to be okay, but she obviously seemed so devastated about what Ed did to her because she was in love with him and Daryl could never compare to the popular jock Ed was.

This is why Daryl was going to enjoy torturing Ed. "We're good." He simply put with a slight nod, keeping eye contact with Carol.

Carol gave him a heart-felt smile that lasted longer than the smile she gave Rick. "So… you all made up for me?"

"You and Michonne's words of wisdom." Maggie stated.

Carol nodded and took a sip of her orange juice then looked up to see that all her team members still had their eyes on her. "Oh… umm-"

"Sorry." Kelly cleared her throat and looked down at her food as the others did the same.

"Maggie." Little Beth poked her older sister's side until she got her attention.

"What is it Beth?" Maggie questioned.

"Glenn's coming!" The little one squealed with glee.

Maggie's heart raced, she hadn't told Beth that Glenn and her broke up yet.

"Over here Glenn!" Beth waved to the older camper.

Glenn walked over taking a seat between Rick and Beth. "Hey Beth. How are you?" He smiled to her.

"I'm just great!" She gave him a big smile. "Glenn... me, Sophia, and the others were wonderin' if you could help us drawing with chalk later on? Maggie says you're a great drawler!"

Glenn smiled then looked at Maggie who stared at him wide-eyed. Glenn looked back down to Beth and nodded. "I think I'll be free later."

"Wow, Maggie, your boyfriend is real great!" Beth smiled as she popped the last of her tater tots in her mouth.

Maggie just chuckled and looked up at Glenn with a thankful smile. "Yeah… he _is_ the best."

For a second everything went black and all Glenn could remember was Rick shaking him as Tara said, "Did he just faint?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Right after breakfast Abraham and Rosita gathered all of their kids, telling them they had something important to tell them.

"I know that every time we have this talk it ends in complete tragedy. But this time, it will be different." Rosita began to explain. "Abraham and I brought you here to talk about your guys's behavior towards each other lately. It's not good, or funny, this is serious." Rosita finished with a stern tone.

"Rosita we're not-" Before Kelly could finish Abraham shushed her.

"I don't wanna hear it Kelly. We're the adults, so you're just gonna have to listen to what Rosita and I have to say." He said in a stern tone.

Shane glanced from Abraham to Kelly. He felt bad that Kelly got scolded so he decided to step in. "Yeah, but we've already-"

"No buts. Whatever you have to say can wait til the end." Rosita stated. "I know a few of you guys have tried to fix this group - and thank you to them - but we can't be a team unless everyone puts effort into it." She explained.

"We understand and that's why-" Rick tried to say only to be cut off just like his other teammates.

"You're really making this hard on me, guys. Just let me say what I gotta say." Rosita begged. "I want this team to be successful, I really do, because up until a week ago you were my best group of kids. My best group of kids ever. I don't wanna lose you guys." The twenty-five year old's eyes became watery.

Abraham cleared his throat. "I agree. I've never had a group as competitive as me. All of you have a reason to beat your competitors but you can only beat them if you work together."

"You're right, that's why we-" This time Glenn tried in, but with no luck.

"Abraham _is_ right!" Rosita sighed. "And I hate to say this but if you guys don't make up soon, we'll be forced to split this team up."

Tara's mouth dropped open. "But we're trying to tell you-"

"Didn't I say no buts?" Rosita questioned with the same stern tone from earlier.

"Wait a second." Carol spoke up.

"What is it hon'?" Rosita's motherly tone was back.

"What?!" Kelly said in complete shock. "What are we? Chopped liver?"

Carol shook her head. "Rosita, we're not fighting any more." She explained. "None of us are. We're cool."

Rosita studied all of her teens with a questionable look. "Since when?" She carefully asked.

"Since last night and this morning." Lori spoke up. "That's what we've been trying to tell you two." She looked between Rosita and Abe.

"Why does everyone think we're lying?" Glenn turned to Kelly who just shrugged.

"Yeah, didn't you guys see us sittin' together in the cafeteria?" Daryl finally spoke.

"You guys were all sitting together?!" Rosita squealed with a big smile growing across her face. "I was in a meeting with Phil." She said in disappointment.

"What about you?" Shane nodded to Abraham.

"I was there." Abraham simply stated.

"You didn't notice us?" Tara questioned with a raised brow.

"No. Dawn was trying to talk to me so I ate my breakfast as soon I got it and left the cafeteria." He explained with a shudder.

Shane snorted. "So that's why you started shoving food down your mouth as soon as you left the serving line."

"Pretty much." Abe replied.

Rosita shook her head and took a second to get her facts straight. "So, if you are all friends… does that mean you know what happened to Carol?" She questioned as most of her group nodded. "Shane I told you not to speak a word of that to anyone." She sighed.

"But Abraham told everyone under the sun, that's how I found out." Lori pointed out.

"Guys, I was fine- I _am_ fine- you didn't have to tell everyone in camp." Carol assured.

"Glad to hear that but I mainly told the part where Shane punched Ed's face in a few times." Abe smiled still thinking about how proud he was.

"Like I said earlier, Carol," Rick spoke up. "he's not getting away with this, I won't let him."

"Yeah, neither will I… and I know for a fact Daryl won't either." Shane stated with a slick smile at the end.

"Huh, uh- yeah." Daryl tried to rub away the burning at the back of his neck as he glared at Shane for putting him on the spot like that without warning.

Carol felt her heart grow weak, but she knew it wasn't from the kind meaning behind the boys' words - though she did feel a certain warmth at the caring and protection that their words invoked. No, how could she stand here and accept their wonderful promises when she hadn't been fully honest with them. And honesty was what she truly owed them, especially to Shane for stepping in and protecting her. "I've got something to say." Carol sighed.

"What is it?" Maggie questioned moving closer to her older teammate and rested a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I haven't been fully honest with any of you." Carol started as she looked around her group only to see confused faces looking back at her. "There has been a few things I've lied to you all about, but I need you all to know that I have _never_ told Ed anything personal about any of you."

Kelly gave Carol a forgiving smile. "It's okay if you did, Carol. I know you probably really liked Ed and that you were just getting caught up in your feelings. We all make mistakes." She assured.

"You don't understand." Carol insisted. "I don't like Ed. I didn't like him yesterday, or the day before that. I never have and I never will, trust me on that." She took in a deep breath.

Wait… did Daryl hear that right? Did Carol just say she _never_ liked Ed? Was he dreaming? Did he die and go to heaven? After discreetly pinching his arm he realized this was the real thing. Carol Owen did not like Ed Peletier… Ever! This was too good to be true.

"You didn't like him? Ha! That's great!" Tara said with a laugh.

"Yeah. I was only giving him false information on all of us to mislead him. It worked." Carol stated.

"How do you know it worked?" Glenn questioned.

Carol thought of a good example to share with the others, then she had it. "Like I told them Tara is gay."

Tara's mouth fell as her eyes grew. "What?" She tried to ask calmly.

"I can't remember what exactly happened but he asked about you and that girl on his team, Alisha, and I went with it and he believed it. Sorry, I was just too into my plan." Carol cringed.

Tara laughed nervously. "Yeah… yeah, no that's cool." She shrugged and that's when Carol's eye widened.

"Ohmygod." Carol gasped. "Are you? Tara, I swear I didn't know, I'm so sorry!" Carol covered her mouth with her hands.

Tara bit her top lip as she looked at her group who all looked a bit taken back. "It's fine… not really how I planned to tell the group, but it's fine." She shrugged feeling completely exposed.

Maggie cleared her throat. "I think that's really nice that you planned to tell us." Maggie smiled.

"Actually I didn't." Tara said feeling a little sick to her stomach. "I was just gonna leave things as it was." She stated.

"Oh." Maggie's smile died before coming back in full force. "Well, at least you know you have nothing to worry about from us. We all accept you for who you are!" The younger girl assured Tara. Tara smiled back, the sick feeling in her stomach finally calming.

"Wait ah second!" Daryl put his hands up as everyone turned to him to hear what he had to say. "So… this whole time you never liked Ed?" That was the only thing he had stuck in his head for the past few minutes and all other news that came after had been completely blocked out.

"Nope." Carol smiled when a tiny bit of relief gleamed in his eyes.

"Not even a bit?" He questioned still on edge.

Carol gave him a confused look. "No... did you want me to? You seem disappointed." Carol teased.

Daryl could feel the corners of his lip curve up in a half smile. "Jus' needed ta know." He assured. He took his eyes off hers and looked at the dirt he was standing on as he fought down some weird feeling in his gut.

"Anyways…" Carol cleared her throat when she remembered that she was still standing in front of her group. "Like I mentioned, my plan was to distract them, but it was also to get info on them as well." She explained.

"Did you?" Glenn asked.

"Yes and-"

"That's great!" Abraham enthused, cutting off Carol as he jumped up from the log he sat on.

"Yeah, it can help us when we get revenge on Ed." Kelly stated.

"Yeah, like, what is his worst fear?" Tara calmly asked holding in all her excitement since she noticed the judgmental looks the group gave Abraham when he jumped with joy.

"Spiders." Glenn answered.

Carol turned to her younger team member. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Glenn's eyes widened. "Lucky guess." He shrugged.

Lori studied him but shrugged it off as she turned back to Carol. "I'm not even afraid of spiders… this guy is a wimp."

Carol smiled. She was definitely glad she had her team back and even more glad at how well they were taking her confession. "I'm glad I stayed." She noted.

"Stayed?" Michonne questioned.

"We offered Carol to go home early after what happened, but she didn't. She wanted to finish what she started here with you all." Abraham explained, so much pride overflowing his face that it looked like he was about to cry.

"Yeah but that's only because we have a lot to do, you know, with getting back at Ed." Carol assured.

"Look at you guys." Abe gleamed with pride and glee. "Now this is what I call teamwork." He went on as he took a seat back down on the log. "And to think I was just about ta switch teams too."

"What? You were gonna leave us?" Michonne questioned.

"Uh- no." Abe rubbed the back of his head as the kids shook their heads, including Rosita.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

A few hours later it was lunch time. The team decided to have a picnic on a hill that overlooked the lake. Shane was still working in the kitchen but he would join them a little later. As the kids ate on a big checkered blanket with Rosita and Abraham they discussed how they were going to get Ed back. Carol told the others about the info she had gathered from the other team. Abraham was extremely fascinated with every word Carol spoke. In the six years Abe worked as a camp leader he had never met someone as manipulative as Carol was… it was fantastic! It was truly inspiring the lengths she went through to carry out her plan.

As it got later into lunch Tara began to throw grapes at the others out of boredom and soon Daryl began to throw them back. Their once peaceful lunch turned into a full out war zone, every man for himself, as they all pelted each other with grapes. They were having fun - then - Shane showed up.

"What's goin' on over here?!" He sounded angry, angry enough to get the whole groups - including his two leaders' - attention. "It took me the whole mornin' to prep this food, for what? A food fight?" Shane slid his hand along his smooth scalp. "My grapes are everywhere!" He pointed to the crushed fruit with such disappointment as he shook his head in disapproval.

The team looked at the mess that was created with the leftover food they used as ammo. Tara raised a brow, shrugged then picked up a grape and chucked it at Shane which bounced off his face. He narrowed his eyes and growled at her.

"Lighten up grandma." Rick stood from the blanket and punched his friend's arm with very little force. Immediately Shane pushed Rick and began to punch his friend back.

"Umm… should we be concerned?" Rosita raised a brow in question.

Abraham shrugged as he watched his boys fight. "I don't know, but look at how perfect Rick's form is." He stated as Rosita sighed. "We really should get a wrestling program started here..." Abraham trailed off as he thought of the possibilities.

"I say we have Shane and Rick pick up this mess." Kelly stated as she pelted the two boys with more grapes.

Immediately Shane stopped punching Rick and shook his head. "No way. I'm not cleanin' nun of this." He stated. "How about yo-" Just then Shane was cut off by Kelly as she threw the last grape in her hand at Shane as it flew directly into his mouth.

"GOOOAL!" Kelly shouted jumping up and chest bumping Tara - who seemed very proud.

Shane coughed as he felt the whole grape slide down his throat slowly and painfully. "I could have died." He choked out.

"Come on, that was kinda funny." Daryl smirked.

"Okay, it kinda was." Shane cleared his throat.

Glenn watched his team as they all debated who was going to clean the mess. It truly amazed him that he was younger than most of them. "So, do we have anything planned for today?" Glenn changed the subject as he turned to his leaders.

"Feel free to do what you want, just, please no violence." Rosita answered.

"Can't make no promises." Daryl smirked when Rosita narrowed her eyes at him.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After everyone put in a joint effort to pick up the fallen food, Daryl noticed Carol standing off in the distance as she looked over the lake. Here was his chance… whatever that meant.

"Carol!" Daryl found himself shouting before he could even stop himself. He quickly debated if he should turn the other way and run but he already caught her eye. _It's not like I coulda gone anywhere anyway, I practically shouted her name._

"Hey Daryl!" She gave him a slight smile as he nodded.

"Hi." He cleared his throat.

Carol stared at him for a moment before lowering a brow in question. "You came over here just to say hi?"

Daryl felt like the back of his neck was on fire. She was so pretty and smart, how was he suppose to talk? She probably was thinking how much of a loser he was right now. "Yeah… guess I did." He tried to smile but he felt sick to his stomach and was pretty sure his heart was pumping loud enough for the both of them to hear.

Carol smiled. "I like that."

"What, that I came to just say hi?" Daryl wrinkled a brow.

"Yeah. With Ed… he just always wanted something." She shrugged.

Daryl nodded. "As long as you want me to, I won't let him near you." He assured in a promising voice. _Wow that didn't come out half bad… maybe I can survive this._ He thought to himself.

Carol raised a brow. "That's really nice of you to say." She didn't mean to sound so shocked but from the beginning Daryl seemed very closed off, not wanting others to know his feelings and Carol was fine with that… but now, she couldn't help but feel the need to know more about him. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit that she had always been curious about the gruff boy who caught her attention on the first day.

"Well it's the truth, Carol." He chewed on his bottom lip. _Is_ _now the time to tell her my feelings? What are my feelings? Does she even like me?_ Daryl blocked out all of his questions to focus on her. "You deserve better than Ed anyway." He shrugged.

Carol nodded. "So I've been told." She softly laughed then looked back to the lake. "Trust me when I say I never liked him. His personality is just too much for me to handle - and for any other normal human being."

Daryl smirked at her comment. What a relief it was for him to hear those words. "Sorry you had to go through that… but you didn't have ta go through it alone."

Carol turned to face Daryl who was some-what behind her. "I tried to say something but everybody was just finding someone to point the finger at… it was my fault this all started. I should have been more clear and-"

"Carol, it wasn't _all_ your fault. We shoulda listened ta you. We all have the blame." He assured.

Carol studied Daryl's face. He just seemed so sure of things. "I don't get it… why do you stick up for me? You didn't know anything about my plan, you don't even know much about me, yet you stuck up for me from the very beginning. You could have been all wrong-"

"But I wasn't." Daryl cut in.

She sighed then turned back to the lake to think as she felt his soft breathing on the back of her neck. He was a puzzle that she wanted to put together. "Still doesn't make sense." She murmured under her breath though Daryl was close enough to hear.

"Then I can help you understand." Daryl assured. He waited till Carol faced him again and when he locked his eyes on hers he asked, "What do you want to know?"

Carol thought back on the past three weeks. "Why do you protect me?"

Immediately Daryl had an answer… well, he had two reasons, but he wasn't going to tell her about the stupid little crush he had on her. "Because you protected me on very first day by stopping me from fightin' Shane, if you didn't... I'd be in juvie right 'bout now."

Carol let her eyes wander over Daryl's face, taking in his expression. He - no matter how much he tried not to be - was a kind and caring person, that's what Carol liked most about him. He felt easy to be around from day one and she was just so comfortable with him, he was different. Yet how she felt didn't matter because at the end of the day, they came from two different worlds that just didn't mix. Giving him a smile Carol decided to head back to the girls but as she tried to do so the part of the hill where she stood was steeper than she realized, causing her to lose her footing. Carol tried her best to stabilize herself, but just couldn't.

Quickly, Daryl took a step forward and wrapped a hand around her arm trying to pull her towards him though she - out of panic - grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him in her direction… now, not only was Carol the one falling back but Daryl was going with her.

Within seconds both of their bodies crushed together and were tumbling over the other as they unwillingly rolled down the hill. Daryl quickly maneuvered himself so that he took the brunt of the impact rolling down the hill. He held tightly onto Carol, one arm wrapped securely around her waist and the other wrapped protectively around her head. Carol screamed the whole way down in her panic. Not wanting Carol to become any more panicked than she already was, Daryl managed to only let out a few grunts when his back hit a few small rocks.

After what felt like an eternity, Daryl could feel the spinning start to slow and with each turn his back didn't hit the ground as hard as it had been.

With the last roll, Carol ended up on top of him. He held onto her for a few seconds, taking in a few deep breaths, before opening his eyes. In an instant his breath caught when his eyes opened to see Carol looking at him just inches away from his face. He had never stared into her eyes from this close up and man she was... she was the most prettiest person he'd ever seen. He could see that her lips were moving but he was so deep into a trance that he couldn't hear a word she was saying. After a few moments Daryl could feel the grin he had plastered across his face start to hurt his cheeks and that's when he snapped out of it.

"Daryl? Answer me! Why are you just smiling?!" Carol shook the boy that wasn't responding. "Are you okay?"

Clearing his throat he nodded but didn't dare to move. He liked having Carol close to him.

Carol sighed and moved her hand to gently sweep some of Daryl's dark blond hair out of his eyes.

"Guess we just keep savin' each other." He finally spoke up.

"More like you saving me… _again_." Carol chuckled then slowly pulled herself off of him to stand. When she got up she held out a hand for Daryl and he took it gladly.

"CAROL! DARYL!" Rosita shouted as the two teens looked up to the top of the hill where their team stood - shock written all over their faces - as Rosita began running full speed down the hill. "Are you guys hurt?!"

"No, Daryl broke my fall." Carol joked.

Daryl smiled at that but he couldn't shake the warm feeling he got in his stomach as he watched Rosita race towards him and Carol… _so this is what it's like ta have people care for you? It feels good._ He noted to himself as Rosita ran into him strangling him in a hug but Daryl didn't mind one bit.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After Rosita thoroughly checked both Daryl and Carol, she had to go to a meeting with Abraham and the other leaders to talk about the group games for the next three weeks. The girls then trapped Carol in a circle - away from the boys - and asked her a million and one questions about what happened.

"Guys, I swear to you all that I just lost my footing." Carol promised.

"Yeah, but what did Daryl say? Come on give us the goods!" Lori giggled when Carol's cheeks went red.

Carol chewed on the bottom of her lip. "Well… we kind of talked."

"Talked? About what?" Maggie now questioned.

"Stuff." Carol shrugged. "About us. I mean him and I, me and him." Carol stuttered flustered, knowing the girls would take that the wrong way.

"Aww." Michonne smiled. "I knew it from day one."

"Knew what? Michonne, Daryl are I are just friends. We get each other - which is really weird since we really don't have much in common."

"Maybe you guys do have a lot in common but just don't know it yet!" Lori said in excitement.

Carol smiled. "Maybe you jump to conclusions too fast."

Michonne shook her head but before she could start a debate she noticed the blank expression on her best friend's face. "Kel? Kelly?" She waved her hand inches in front of Kelly's face but the troubled girl didn't even blink.

"Kelly?" Maggie walked closer a little freaked out by her teammates blank stare. "What is she lookin' at?" She asked the others before following Kelly's gaze and her eyes landed on Shane.

"Kelly… why are you staring at Shane?" Lori grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

The girl finally sighed. "I don't know." She said before adding. "I'm just trying to see if I like him, I guess..."

"You still don't know, huh?" Michonne wrapped her arm around her friend.

"It's just so frustrating. I've never liked someone before… I just don't know how it feels like." Kelly bit the bottom of her lip.

"Well… there are ways you can find out if you do." Maggie suggested.

"Really? How?" Kelly raised a brow feeling a little hope.

"By testin' it." Maggie assured.

"Okay… wait… how do we test it?" Kelly sighed, feeling like she was back to 'square one'.

"We could… beat him up and see if you care." Tara shrugged.

Carol's eyes widened. "What?! No, Tara, we are not going to hurt Shane."

Lori blocked out the girls and thought hard, but didn't take long until an idea popped into her head. It was a risky one but it would get the job done. "Okay, I got it!"

"What is it?!" The five other girls questioned simultaneously.

"Kelly, just… keep your eyes on me. Got it?" Lori waited till the blonde haired girl nodded then she gave them all a thumbs up and started on her way over to the boys of the team.

"That's what I'm saying. I think Daryl really likes Ca-" Immediately Rick stopped talking when he saw Lori walking their way. He smiled to her when she was closer. "Hey Lori, How's-" Again Rick stopped, but this time for a completely different reason.

Lori walked straight into the circle that the boys had created, grabbed Shane by the collar of his shirt, pulled him down towards her, and kissed his lips.

Everyone was dead silent.

Shane's eyes were as big as saucers when Lori finally released him from the kiss.

Glenn - like the other boys - was still trying to piece everything together. Everything had happened so fast. "I thought Lori liked Rick…" He whispered quietly over to Daryl who just shrugged.

Lori turned on her heel and looked straight to Kelly with an arched eyebrow. "Do you?"

Shane - who was completely taken by surprise - looked wide-eyed at Kelly. "She kissed me I swear!" He raised his hands in surrender.

Kelly just smiled. "I do!" She gasped as the girls squealed in excitement.

"You're welcome!" Lori ran back over to the girls and hugged Kelly.

The guys - still confused as ever - decided it was best not to ask any questions, but Shane didn't get the memo. "What the hell was that? Lori kisses me and you all jump for joy? This some type ah prank?"

Kelly shook her head. "It wasn't a prank. Just, come take a walk with me." She nudged her head towards a hiking trail. He eyed her for a moment before slowly following behind her.

The two were quiet while they walked to the trail. Shane could see Kelly was getting nervous about whatever it was that just happened and now that they were not in earshot of their nosy team, he felt it was best to start talking.

"So… do you know why Lori kissed me?"

Kelly glanced at the side of Shane's face. For the first time since she'd met him, he actually seemed nervous. "It was a test… to see if I liked you…" She said awkwardly.

He raised a brow. "Oh… do you?" He questioned trying not to sound desperate.

Kelly smiled. "I really think so." She assured.

"Well, if I haven't made it obvious yet… I like you too."

Kelly gasped. "You don't say? I would have never guessed." She chuckled when he rolled his eyes. "And Shane... if it matters, I like you better with a bald head."

He nodded. "Guess I've been meanin' to cut it." He rubbed his hand along his scalp.

Again she smiled but before she could say anything something caught her eye that terrified her. "Ohmygod! Shane, it's a bear!" She screamed and hid behind the tall boy for protection.

Shane moved to stand in front of her and as he looked up he couldn't help but to laugh. "No, Kelly. It's a dog."

"You mean a wolf?" She dared to peer around him to get a look at the beast.

Shane shook his head. "No-"

"A mountain lion?! A coyote?!" She shouted in panic, surprised she had yet to run back to her group.

Shane made a tsking sound to called over the animal. "Nope, just a dog. Come here boy, come on!" He patted his thighs and clapped his hands to get its attention.

"It might have rabies." Kelly stated, finally brave enough to move to Shane's side as she held on to his shirt like a scared little child. The dog's fur was a golden blond and it was big.

"You're fine Kel, look he's good, right boy?" Kelly smiled seeing Shane play with the dog but then she saw more movement from the corner of her eye.

Her mouth dropped. "Uhh, Shane."

"Kelly you worry too much. I bet you're just hungry huh boy?"

"That's nice Shane... It's just, I don't think this dog is a boy..."

"Why would you say tha-" before he could finish Shane looked up, "Oh..." Now his mouth fell agape too.

"Nice doggy…" Kelly moved slowly past the dog as it just stared at her. "Are these your babies?" She asked knowing full well the dog couldn't answer her question.

"Of course they're hers whose else would those pups belong to?" Shane stated as Kelly lifted a brow.

"I was just making small talk." Kelly shook her head. "Just keep the dog busy, I'm gonna try to get the two puppies and check if there are any more around." She stated.

"Fine." Shane sighed then knelt back down to the dog. "Come on girl! Oh, such a good girl." He cooed as he patted the dog that attacked him with kisses.

"I hope you enjoy that because that's the last lip action you'll be getting this summer." Kelly smirked as she held the two tiny pups that fit in the palm of her hands.

"She's just jealous, huh, girl?" Shane said in a high pitched tone to the dog that continued to jump on him.

"Yeah, that's what I am… but look at these little puppies!" Kelly cooed in a much higher pitched tone. "You made two beautiful pups, Miss Lady." She stated as she moved to put the pups with their mother.

"There was just two?" Shane asked.

"Yup, at least from what I could see… what do we do now?"

"Should probably go to someone. These dogs look hungry."

Kelly nodded then looked closer at the - what she guessed was a Golden Retriever. "Look, she has a name tag, check it."

Shane scratched the back of the dog's ear before sliding his hand slowly to the neck and gently moving it's fur to reveal a dog tag.

"Her name is… Max?"

"Max?" Kelly repeated giving Shane a questioning look. "Please tell me you read that wrong."

"No, it actually says Max… what kinda sick person gives their girl dog a boy's name?" Shane thought aloud.

"The same sick person that loses their dog that was pregnant. She had these babies out here in the wild." Kelly shook her head in disappointment. "Don't worry girl, who ever did this to you is some lonely, no good for nothing, hateful person that you'll never have to see again." Kelly assured giving Max a kiss on the top of her head as she scooped up Max's two pups and headed back to their group with Shane.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Hey! You found my dog!" Abraham walked out of the cafeteria with a big smile on his face.

"Your dog?!" A hint of anger sparked in Kelly's eyes causing Abraham to take a step back.

"Yeah… I've been looking for him since the beginning of camp." Her leader explained.

"HIM? Do these pups I found with _your_ dog say that this is a boy?!" Kelly point to the two pups that Michonne held.

"Pups? I… wha- Max is a boy!" Abraham swore.

"You don't even know what gender your dog is?" Glenn raised a brow.

"I do too!" Abraham testified.

"Maybe this isn't Abe's dog." Tara shrugged.

"No, that's my dog. I can see the dog tag I gave him."

"Really? You can see the dog tag from where you're standing but you've never noticed it's missing penis?!" Kelly questioned.

"Okay listen! I got Max exactly one day before camp started about three weeks ago... It just so happens that I lost Max on the same day, so I didn't really know if it was a boy, I just assumed." Abraham explained realizing he was only making himself seem worse.

"You lost your dog the same day you got it? That's low, even for you." Lori shook her head.

"It is not my fault! Max was a gift from my boss, Phil. I've never mentioned him-"

"Her." Most of the group simultaneously corrected.

"Fine. I never mentioned _her_ because I didn't want Mr. Phil to know I lost the gift he gave me."

"Do you still want her?" Kelly studied her leader's face.

"Yes. I promise I won't lose her this time." Abe held his hands up.

"Okay." Kelly nodded. "But you have to keep the pups too!"

"What?! Can't I give those little creatures away?"

"You've already lost Max for about a month and now you want to give away her babies? What kind of evil man are you?" Rick shook his head in disapproval.

"Fine! I'll keep the little things. What are they anyway?" Abraham walked closer to the pups. He'd hate to admit it, but they were kinda cute.

"Boy and girl." Michonne answered.

Abe nodded. "That one will be named, Jax." He said pointing to the one on the right. "And that one will be Roxie." He pointed to the one on the left.

Michonne bit her lip and raised her brow. "You sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, that's their final names… why?" Abraham said questioning himself now.

"It's just when you pointed to the girl dog, you gave her the boy name and when you pointed to the boy dog you gave him the girl name."

His face went blank. "Why does this keep happening to me?" Abraham asked himself.

"Well… you can change their names." Carol pointed out trying her best not to laugh.

"No, it's too late." Abe complained. "My boy is named Roxie and both my girls are named Max and Jax." He sighed. "I'm such an idiot."

"Oh! Look at these dogs!" Rosita came over to her group. "Did you guys just find them?" She asked bending down and petting Max.

"Yeah, they're Abe's." Tara answered.

"Abe, they look hungry!" Rosita said, worry and shock taking over her face.

"I know I'm about to take them back to my place and get them some food." He assured.

"Your house is too far, I'll take them to my apartment and feed them. You can pick them up tomorrow." Rosita stated as she gathered the three dogs over to her. "We'll talk about this later too, Mr. What kind of person loses three dogs?"

"If it matters it was only one dog at the time I lost 'em." He mentioned.

"That doesn't make anything better Abe." Rosita shook her head.

Tara's mouth fell open at what was mentioned earlier. "Wait! You guys have the option to leave this camp? Yet you choose to stay?!"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Michonne!" Rick called out.

"Oh, hey, Rick." Michonne pushed aside some of her dreads to clear her face.

"Are we okay? 'Cause after you kissed me, you kinda... well, you ran off." Rick looked to the ground. He didn't have a big ego or anything like that but when a pretty girl that you've been majorly crushing on runs away after you kiss them it tends to take a hit on your confidence.

Michonne grimaced. "Yeah, I guess I did." She felt extremely bad that she left with no explanation the night before.

Rick looked back up at her. "Was it not good- the kiss, did you not like it?"

"What? No, Rick! I enjoyed our kiss… I just, I guess that's why I left you. I got nervous." She shrugged, hoping she hadn't ruined things with Rick.

Rick nodded. "I get nervous too, Michonne. You're an amazing person. All you have to do is smile and you make my day so much better."

Michonne tried to stop herself from smiling but couldn't. "Okay, then, how can we make it easier on us to where we don't feel like having a heart attack every time we see each other?"

"The only thing I could think of is for us to spend more time together." Rick shrugged nonchalantly.

"Is that so?" Michonne raised a brow, a smirk beginning to form on her face.

"Yeah." He reached for her hand and held it in his - it was as smooth as he had remembered it from the night before. "I'm gonna kiss you now."

Michonne chuckled. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll try not to run this time." She teased.

"Good." Rick spoke in a soothing voice and pulled her in as he softly pressed his lips to hers. When they pulled away, Rick kept his arm across her back holding her close to him.

"I really-" Michonne could feel herself not able to finish but Rick understood.

"I like you too." He took a step away from her and shook his head. "That's why I..." Rick started before trailing off not sure how to ask her what he wanted to ask her.

Michonne tensed up and a barrage of thoughts exploded in her head. _Rick_ _had said he liked me too. Did he change his mind? Could he really change his mind that quickly? Did he not want to move forward in case it ruined our friendship? This was all my fault! Rick is so sweet and I ruined it! If I hadn't run away last night-_

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as Rick continued to speak. "Michonne, I wanted to ask you something. See I... I really like, he-hum, I really like kissing you but I don't think it would be right to just kiss you. Y'know?"

Now Michonne could feel her muscles start to relax - if only a little bit. "So what do you propose?"

"Well, I was thinking that since we're going to be spending more time together and gettin' to know each other better, maybe we could be somethin' more."

Now Michonne was nervous again but an excited kind of nervous. "So what are you gonna do about that?" She asked with a smirk.

Rick just smiled with a slight nod. He felt so nervous just looking at her but he wanted to treat the girl standing in front of him with respect. He needed to ask- no he wanted to ask. "Michonne… will you be my girlfriend?" He softly asked.

Michonne looked into Rick's eyes and felt like she was staring at the blue ocean water. How could she say no to the sweetest boy she'd ever met? "Rick… I will be." Rick pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her cheek.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Tara clapped her hands as Rick and Michonne finally walked through the doors of the cafeteria. "Congratulations, you made it here before we finished eating dinner." She said sarcastically. "Where were you two anyways?"

Rick eyed Michonne and waited for her to speak up. "Well… I just walked around." Michonne shrugged stuffing a bread roll in her mouth.

"Me too, but I wasn't walking with Michonne. We just met up on the way here." Rick tried to play it cool, thankfully Shane was working in the kitchen or else his best friend would have seen right through his lie.

"Likely story." Kelly eyed the both of them as she ripped off a piece of her bread roll and popped it in her mouth. Something was going on and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"My gosh… Shane is one hell of a cook, this food is amazing!" Maggie hummed as she continued to eat. The others nodded in agreement. Just a few days of Shane working in the kitchens and there was a noted improvement to the quality of the meals they served at the camp.

Daryl nodded as he watched Beth do a dance while she ate. He furrowed a brow and shook his head then turned to the rest on the table. "So.." He cleared his throat. "What we got planned for Ed?"

"An Ambush." Everyone heard their leader's voice as they turned to see Abraham walking to them. "At dawn - and no not that evil woman we all hate - we'll get them when the sun comes up." He explained.

"My mama says hate is a bad word." Beth stated as everyone looked at the little girl who stared up at the tall ginger man.

"It is, haven't I told you that Abraham is not… the best role model." Maggie explained to Beth who just nodded.

"What?!" Abe said in shock but ended up just shrugging. "Hmm, probably right… but anyways, that's the best thing to do."

"You make it sound easy. But how are we going to ambush them when we have no weapons?" Tara pointed out in a hushed voice.

"I can supply you all with water guns that fill with paint, balloons filled with water, and a crap load of silly string. I just need a day to get it all together." He offered.

"Good. I got Ed, ya'll handle the rest." Daryl stated.

"Sounds like a plan." Rick nodded in agreement.

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed! This chapter was extremely difficult and I had to rewrite the beginning multiple times but I hope it came out to your liking.**_

 _ ***WARNING*- Next chapter will be a short (few thousand) word chapter and it will be written in the point of view of the other team. Yes, this means we will be following Ed's group to get insight on their thoughts and feelings just because I think it will be fun to write - BUT DON'T WORRY, it will just be for chapter 12 then we'll get back to our Walking Dead team so I can give you all more Caryl and Richonne romance, oh and we'll see what's up with Glaggie too... ;D **_

**_And about the last Walking Dead episode 'Heads up' - I'm so happy my baby boy Glenn is alive! #HeLived_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	13. Chapter 12: Team Terminus

_*******UPDATE*****- January 24, 2016- CHAPTER 13 IS COMING TOMORROW! So sorry for the long wait you guys!**_

 _ **Real quick I just want to mention that I used to have Martinez on the rival team but I took him out and replaced him with Aiden. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review! ;)**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Team Terminus**

It was finally Monday, the first day of group games that were to take place and just like every year around this time Alisha could feel the day was going to be a long one. She rolled out of bed, dodged Jessie throwing an eyelash curler at Andrea, jumped over her leader's suitcase that was carelessly lying in the middle of the floor, and safely made it to the cabin's bathroom were Enid was getting ready.

"Morning." She smiled to the girl who was using a hair straightener.

"Hey. You excited for today?" Enid asked.

Alisha shrugged, "It's the same every year."

"Yeah but we've never been up against Rick's group. They make things interesting... especially since this is their first year and they're newbies." Enid smiled.

"You don't think they're any good?" Alisha questioned, trying not to seem like she cared for the other team.

"They've got nothing on us Alisha. Don't worry, Ed won't let them win, Ms. Dawn won't either." Enid assured.

"I know that... and I know you're going to hate this when I say it but… Rick's team is _really_ good. Remember when our team went up against his team an' we had the juniors while they had the kinders and firsties? They won that game. If that's not good then I don't know what is." Alisha pointed out.

"Okay, I'll admit it. They know what they're doing out there on the field, but we are so much better. Trust me Lish, Ed will back me up on this. Finish getting ready, okay?" Enid patted Alisha's shoulder then left the bathroom.

Alisha huffed. She looked in the bathroom's mirror and could barely recognize herself. At the beginning of camp she had a crush on a boy... but now? Now she was crushing on a girl and not just any girl... she was crushing on Tara, who happened to be on the team that Alisha was competing against. Life was definitely not on her side.

She sprayed some mousse on her hand and ran it through her hair to make the fuzziness of her curls more defined, then she threw on some tights and a tank-top and headed on her way to breakfast with the group.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Pete, get that stupid hat off your head." Andrea said as she smacked the back of the boy's head.

"Hey, don't mess with me or I'll get your ex-boyfriend and tell him to put you in your place." Pete stated with a teasing tone.

"Shane wouldn't do anything, he practically quivers in my presence." Andrea smirked.

"He's a good cook though, I can tell you that much." Nick stated as he scarfed down some eggs.

"Eww, speak of the losers." Jessie nodded her head over to a particular round table in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I can't even look at them. Not after what they did to Ed." Enid said in a disgusted tone.

"I know right, Shane had no right to beat Ed like that." Aiden spoke up, anger clearly glowing in his eyes.

"And I don't know what Mrs. Deanna and Mr. Phil were thinking letting Abraham choose the punishment for Shane, of course he was going to let him off easy, Abraham was probably proud of him!" Nick sighed.

"Exactly. But since Ed was given a punishment by Mr. Phil, now he has to help my dad build some new type of obstacle course." Aiden pointed out.

"We're just lucky they didn't kick him out." Gabriel said quietly.

"Yeah, only because Aiden's mom helps run this camp. If it was only Mr. Phil, Ed would be long gone because we all know Mr. Phil's favorite leader is Abraham." Andrea rolled her eyes at her own words.

Alisha watched as her team went back and forth on this topic but they were all so blind to the truth. "Well, not that I'm sticking up for them- 'cause I'm not, but… Ed did kinda hurt Carol from what I heard."

"Ed was in the right, they were in the wrong, Alisha." Jessie said fiercely.

"Look! Here comes Ed right now!" Enid smiled as the captain of their team came through the double doors of the cafeteria.

Alisha watched as Ed winked at Carol, who immediately put her head down and stared at her tray of food. _Gosh, Ed was disgusting_. Alisha grunted while her team giggled with laughter. "Morning Ed." She greeted with no smile.

"Mornin' - did y'all see the stare Dixon jus' gave me? Ha! It was hilarious." Ed laughed to himself.

"Yeah, that was hella funny." Gareth laughed along.

"How's your punishment been?" Gabriel asked.

"Alright. Your dad is kinda cool, Aiden." Ed shrugged. "Shane jus' got lucky though, I would've destroyed his punk ass if Carol hadn't been screamin' for the referee and Ford to come."

Alisha furrowed a brow. "Did you even like her?"

"Course I liked her, still do too. Jus' gotta make things right between us again, don't want that loser Dixon ta get her." He stated.

"What makes you think she'll take you back?" Alisha questioned like she was interrogating him.

"It's me, who wouldn't take me back?" Ed chuckled.

"You okay Alisha? You've been acting really weird today." Enid gave her friend a concerned look.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm good." She nodded.

"If you need anything, you know you can tell us. We're a team, we have been for six summers in a row." Andrea mentioned.

Alisha smiled. "Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine. Guess I'm stressed out 'cause it's the first day of team games, that's all." She shrugged. "How's your eye Ed? It still looks a little bruised."

"Like I said, Shane got lucky… but it's doin' better." He stated stubbornly.

"Yeah, heard he also gave that girl, Kelly, a black eye too." Nick spoke up.

"Yeah I heard that too… but I also heard it was by accident." Alisha quickly added.

"True, Shane was… nice when I dated him." Andrea shrugged.

"Ohmygod." Jessie gasped as she eyed her teammate. "Do you still like him?"

"What? No." Andrea huffed shaking her head. "Come on, finish up eating so we can meet up with Ms. Dawn and Milton." She quickly changed the subject.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After the team had a quick icebreaker, which was naming one thing they each hated about the other team, Dawn made sure her kids stretched and were fully hydrated for their first team game.

The games would be starting soon so Ed and the rest of his team went over to the tally keeper where their opponents awaited.

"Morning sunshine." Ed waved to the tall Dixon boy.

"Keep walkin'." Daryl growled not even bothering to look at Ed.

Alisha smirked at how Ed searched for something good to say, but nothing came. He wasn't that bad of a guy when you got to know him, but he had a side to him that she didn't like, such as how he treated girls. Carol seemed nice from the few times Alisha's hung out with her and because of that she really hoped that Ed didn't get her back.

"Okay guys! Gather around." The same tally keeper, who had recorded all the pair games, called out for the two teams. "I would just like to say that both of these two teams have definitely put in a tremendous effort in each of the games you've played against each other and it has been a pleasure watching you guys-"

"Yeah, yeah, just tell us who won." Abraham grunted.

"Hey Rick, control your leader." Ed chuckled as the ginger leader mugged him.

The tally keeper cleared her throat. "Right... the winning team of the pair games goes to, team Terminus."

"Yes!" Jessie jumped up, pulling Pete and Enid into a hug. "Good job guys!"

Alisha smiled as she, Nick, and Andrea shared a hug. "We did it!"

"Just like we do every year." Andrea assured with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, what's up with the sad faces?" Gareth turned to his competitors. "Maybe you'd win if you were good." He stated with a shrug.

"You won by like two games." Glenn spoke up.

"Still won." Gareth shrugged again.

"Come on champs!" Dawn nudged her head in the other direction. "Let's get ready… see you on the field Abraham." She winked at the other leader who just shook his head.

"Alright kids, before Dawn gets started with her speech, I just want to say that I'm really proud of you all in this win, you definitely deserved it." Milton started. "For today, I just want you all to have fun, okay?" When his team nodded, Dawn moved to stand in front of them.

"Congratulations, you won games that don't even count for the final gold medal." She stated in a flat tone. "Today, you're gonna walk onto that field and destroy the other team so bad they're gonna wanna go home crying to their mommies and daddies. Am I clear?" With fear written on the teens faces, they all nodded. "There are no excuses for losers on my team and I hope none of you are. You have won nothing yet and most importantly you have yet to impress me, so here is your chance to do so in today's game. Now are you guys going to betray me and lose or are you guys going to impress me with a win?"

"Impress you with a win!" The team chanted back.

"Good. Now I want you to march onto that field and beat this team so bad you're going to have to dig their graves because you murdered them in this game!" Dawn ordered.

"Woohoo! Yeah!" The guys shouted as the girls just followed close behind them.

Terminus walked to their dug out and geared up for their game. They were playing a normal game of baseball and of course who ever had the most points at the end of the ninth inning, won.

"Okay team, huddle up!" Ed called out. He waited for his team to gather around him so he could deliver his speech. "What are we gonna do out there?"

"Play our best." Alisha answered.

"That and we're going ta win." He stated. "Show this team that we're their superiors. I ain't taking their crap no more. We gonna do whatever it takes ta win this game got that?"

"Hold up, are you talking about playing dirty?" Nick asked.

"If that's what it takes." Ed nodded.

"Wait… what? We're gonna cheat just to win a stupid game?" Alisha narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, you heard what Ms. Dawn told us." Jessie spoke turning to her younger teammate. We've practically cheated every year, Alisha, what's so wrong with this year? What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know, my conscious maybe." The girl shrugged rolling her eyes. "Who's up to bat first?" She changed the subject.

"Rick's team." Ed turned as he watched the Asian kid walk out of his dug out with a bat. "Looks like Glenn's up first. I'll be pitcher." He said in a mischievous tone.

Alisha sighed. "I'm first base." She stated and grabbed her glove then went out to her position.

As all of Terminus got to their spots on the field Ed nodded to the catcher, which was Nicholas, to make sure he was ready and as Nick nodded back, Ed threw the first baseball and the time on the scoreboard began. Now the game was on.

The first two pitches were strikes against Glenn. Ed could taste the victory already as he threw the baseball and it rolled off the tip of his fingers sending it straight to the boy with the bat.

A loud popping sound came from the bat as it made contact with the ball sending it back towards Ed and his team. The baseball landed in the right back field giving Glenn enough time to run to first base.

Ed grunt as he watched his competitors jump in excitement inside their dugout. It truly made him sick to see them so happy. He adjusted his glove and turned to Gabriel who was standing in the back field. "Keep your eyes open man, that's how they're gonna get us if you don't pay attention."

"Sorry Ed!" The usually quiet boy shouted.

Ed just shook his head and turned back to the home plate to see Kelly already standing with bat in hand. "This oughta be a piece ah cake." He whispered under his breath.

Throwing the ball straight into the catcher's glove as the umpire called 'strike' all three times. Kelly was out and she headed back to her dugout in shame. Ed laughed to himself as the next batter came onto home plate. It was Walsh.

"Hey batter batter." Ed called out in a mockingly deep voice.

As he pitched the ball with all his strength with his right hand Shane swung sending the ball high into the air. Jessie moved fast to get under the ball and smiled as it came down into her glove. Shane was out and so was Glenn as Alisha was thrown the ball and tagged first base before he could run back to it.

It was now Alisha who was up to bat for her team first. Rick was pitching and Tara was the catcher.

"Hey." Tara said secretly.

Alisha smiled. "Hi."

"Good luck, you guys are doing pretty good." Tara stated then put on her catcher's mask.

Alisha nodded. "Thanks." She gave one last smile to the girl then turned to face Rick. She tightened her grip on the baseball bat, straightened up her back, and bent her knees slightly.

Once she gave him a small nod the ball that flew out of Rick's hand came at her fast but Alisha was ready for it. She swung the bat as the ball hit the ground, past shortstop, and continued to roll. Immediately Alisha dropped the bat and ran for first.

She made it and waited for Andrea to hit the ball and when she did it flew over Michonne's head, who was in the back field.

This gave Alisha the time to run past second and straight to third base. She turned to look around and saw that Michonne was about to throw the ball to second base where Andrea was. At the last second Alisha sprinted for home plate. The ball was now being thrown to Tara but Alisha pushed herself fast as she got down and slid to home plate, slapping her hand down on the base before Tara could tag her.

"SAFE!" The umpire shouted.

Terminus yelled in excitement as they began to chant, "Extra extra read all about it, Andrea hit it no doubt about it! First base, second base, third base, home, those are the bases she will own!"

"Way to come through like that Alisha!" Pete high-fived his team member.

"Yeah that was divine!" Gabriel patted her back.

It was down to the ninth inning, there was three minutes left in the game and Terminus was up by five home runs. The game had been intense the whole time and now that it was coming to an end the Walking Dead team could feel the loss weighing heavy on their shoulders but for Terminus they were on cloud nine.

Daryl was up to bat and if he got an out the game would be over. Now that Aiden was pitching, the game was moving faster seeing that Ed had stopped the game a few times to trash talk.

Aiden took a deep breath in and exhaled. He cleared his mind and focused his eyes on the catcher's glove, as he raised his arm back and used all his arm muscle to throw the ball.

Daryl tensed up his muscles as the ball came at him and swung the bat as the ball flew over the three players in the field.

Daryl had hit a grand slam sending Lori, Rick, and Maggie who were all on one of the three bases to home plate including Daryl himself giving the Walking Dead four points to add onto the scoreboard. Now that the score was 13-12 - Walking Dead with the 12 points- it was up to Michonne to keep the drive alive. Keeping in mind that her team already had two outs against them she smacked her bat into baseball. History had repeated itself as Andrea got underneath the ball and caught it making it the third out.

The game was over and the final score was 13-12.

Terminus had won.

"YEAH! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout baby!" Ed shouted, chest bumping Gareth.

"Good job kids!" Dawn came running up to her team. "I didn't expect anything less from you guys!"

"I'm proud of you all!" Milton high-fived his kids.

"Dawn, Milton! I need the score!" A tally keeper called out from the distance.

"One sec!" Dawn yelled back before turning to her group. "Now as much as I hate to ruin our moment but we have to go. I want you, my little champions, to go get some rest before dinner, I'll meet you girls back in the cabin." When her team nodded she and Milton set off to talk to the keeper and the ref.

"Good job gang. I'm proud of us." Ed spoke up.

"Hey Ed!" The team turned to Rick who was walking up to their group.

"Rick." Ed said in a disgusted tone.

"Good game out there." Rick said though it looked like those words were painful to say.

"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" Ed laughed to himself as his group started to laugh as well.

"Yeah… maybe if you didn't cheat half the time my team woulda won." The southern boy stated with a fierce tone.

"You callin' us cheaters?" Ed walked closer to Rick and narrowed his eyes.

"That's what I'm sayin'. You were blocking the bases so that we couldn't get on the plate before you tagged us that wasn't even fair-"

"Life isn't fair." Ed cut him off.

"Well I suggest you change your way of playing before I change it for you." Rick's voice got as deep as Ed's and now the boys we staring each other down.

"You threatenin' me, Grimes?"

"No, I'm promising you." He stated.

"Rick! Get over here man!" Shane called out for his friend.

"Yeah, Rick, go to your little team _man_." Aiden chimed in.

"Just know that you're gonna get what's coming to you." With that last warning, Rick left and Ed turned to his group.

"Can you believe that guy?" Ed shook his head.

"Yes Ed, I can believe him. I told you we shouldn't have cheated. Now they're on to us." Alisha sighed.

"If you keep sticking up for them how 'bout you join their team, I hear they accept losers you'd fit in jus' fine."

"Don't say that to her, Ed!" Andrea cut in.

"Yeah, not cool don't compare her to those losers." Aiden spoke up.

"I'm not even sticking up for them! I'm looking out for us." Alisha testified.

"Whatever... I'm headin' to the cabin." Ed grunted.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After the big win Terminus went to the cafeteria to feed their hunger.

"This is too good. First we beat Shane, then he has to make us our food. Hilarious!" Pete almost choked on his chicken leg from uncontrollably laughing.

"I know. It's too classic." Ed high-fived his friend.

"Finally, you've all showed up, what took so long?" Gabriel asked the girls as they all took a seat at their team's table.

"We had to take showers. That game left us sweaty." Jessie stated as if it was only obvious.

"Whimps." Gareth shook his head.

"Champs!" Dawn called out as she made her way over to the kids' table. "You'll never guess what I've heard!" The leader exclaimed as she pulled Milton along.

"What did you hear Ms. Dawn?" The teens asked.

"Abraham's team is planning an attack against us! We have to get them before they get us." Her voice was dark and it sent a shiver down Milton's back.

He swallowed hard. "I don't know about this." He warned.

"Shut it Milton!" Dawn snapped. "But I hear that they want to attack at dawn - not me Dawn - but when the sun comes up."

"Yeah, we got that, but we would have to attack before that." Aiden theorized.

"Exactly! I say midnight is the time we head to their cabins and attack. I don't know if they'll have weapons but I can supply you with stink bombs, water guns filled with watered down syrup, and a crap load of water balloons."

"Good. We're doing this tonight?" Jessie asked.

"Yes. I can have the supplies in a few hours." Dawn assured.

"I call Daryl. Ya'll get everybody else, got that?" Ed stated.

"Sure thing." Nick nodded.

"Then we attack at midnight." Pete started taking another bite of his chicken leg.

* * *

 ** _TheAmazingCharlieG \- That is hilarious my friend's name is James and she is a girl too so I had to write that in part in for her LoL I'm glad that made you laugh! _**

**_Hope you enjoyed this chapter if you didn't notice I made Alisha the nicest one in the group because I have plans for her and Tara and because I really do like Alisha as a character, she's probably the only on I like on the Terminus team._**

 ** _The next chapter we are back with our Walking Dead team but will Terminus get to attack them first?! You'll have to wait and see for next chapter ;)_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	14. Chapter 13: Lighting Up the Night

**Chapter 13: Lighting Up the Night**

It was 11:02 at night when Rosita was abruptly woken from her sleep by her buzzing phone. When she looked at the caller ID and noticed it was Abraham calling, her heart dropped. Fearing one of her boys was hurt she quickly answered it. "Abe what's wrong? Who's hurt?" She questioned in a rush.

"Nobody's hurt… yet." Abraham assured. "Get the girls up and get them dressed. Now." He demanded.

"What? Why would I do that? You're not making any sense." Rosita scratched the top of her head and yawned.

"Wake the girls up right now and come to our cabin, you gotta hurry! I'll explain more when you arrive." He assured.

"Abraham, why do you sound out of breath?" Rosita asked as she pulled off her sheets and headed for the main light switch. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running back to my cabin with a shit load of shit on my back! I'll see you in a few minutes!" With that Abraham hung up the phone leaving Rosita to rudely interrupt her sleeping teens for whatever the hell it was that Abraham was planning this late at night.

When Abraham arrived at his cabin, he flew through the front door, and rushed into the boys' bedroom. He quickly turned on the light switch and set the heavy duffel bags on the ground. "Wake up! Come on, move your asses!" He ordered in a voice loud enough to wake up Glenn as the boy gave his leader a confused expression.

"It's morning already?" Glenn rubbed his eyes looking across the bunks to where Rick was struggling to get up.

"No it's about to be a quarter past eleven and we don't have much time."

"Time for what? I thought we were attacking in the morning." Daryl groggily moaned keeping his eyes hidden from the brightness of the bedroom.

"Yeah, change of plans. During dinner I overheard Dawn telling her group that she overheard us! They were planning to attack us at midnight and I can't let that happen."

Instantly Daryl was up and already slipping on his shoes. This was his one chance to punch Ed's face in a few times and he sure as hell wasn't about to miss it. "You heard the man, get up!" Daryl ordered as he chucked a pillow at Shane, who was the only one still sleeping.

Rick climbed down the ladder of his bunk before scratching his head and looking confused. "What about the girls?"

"I already called Rosita, they should be here any min-"

Abraham was cut off by the sound of the cabin door opening as Rosita came into the bedroom with all the girls behind her. "You boys aren't ready yet?" The female leader sighed.

"And you say girls are the ones who take forever getting dressed." Tara shook her head in disappointment.

"That's not fair, you were all warned before us." Shane stated as he groggily sat up on his bed and carelessly pulled on his hiking boots.

"Are those for us?" Maggie nodded to the pile of duffel bags in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, go through them. Take what you need." Abraham insisted.

The girls nodded and headed over to the bags. As they each started to look through them Lori frowned at her findings. "Fanny packs? I thought we'd at least have some sense of style."

"They come in handy, trust me." Abraham went over to the girls and unzipped one of the many fanny packs. "Look, they got some silly string, stink pellets, and pepper spray."

"Pepper spray?!" Rosita's eyes widened. "Abraham! They could blind someone!"

"It's only temporary." Abraham shrugged off her worry.

"Oh cool! Look at this jacket!" Tara said as she pulled out a piece of clothing before furrowing a brow when she noticed there weren't any sleeves on this particular jacket. "Wait… what the hell is this?" She turned to Abraham.

Making a tsking sound Abraham took the article of clothing from Tara. "It's a poncho, obviously. It was mine but... it doesn't fit me anymore." The man looked somewhat ashamed.

Rosita shook her head at her partner. The only reason his poncho didn't fit anymore was that he gained some serious muscle in the last year. He looked really good. Not that she'd been staring or anything. Rosita shook her head again and turned to Carol. "Carol I think you should wear the poncho since you forgot your jacket and it's a bit cold outside."

Carol eyed the poncho. It did have a nice red pattern to it and it looked as if she could hide some weapons under it. Taking the poncho in hand she secretly admired the softness before slipping it on over her tank-top.

"Wow, Carol. That looks really good on you." Rick offered her a smile and as he looked up his eyes met Daryl's, who seemed deep in thought. "What? You good man?" Rick questioned.

With a small nod in Rick's direction Daryl furrowed a brow. _How does Rick hand out compliments like it's the simplest task in the world?_

Maggie watched as Glenn loaded his paintball gun with extreme care before something in the corner of the boys' room caught her eye. "Why is that bag over there under your bed, Abraham?"

"Oh uh… it's just some fireworks. Bunch of air missiles. I thought they would be useful but the only thing they'll do it get us caught." Abraham explained.

"Aww it woulda been cool to light them at Ed." Shane thought out loud as Tara and Daryl both nodded in agreement.

Rosita's mouth dropped as she imagined her teens setting off a Bottle Rocket at any of the members from the other team. It could get someone seriously hurt. "Oh no. Nobody is going to take those fireworks with us." She stated, eyeing each of her teens.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

They had finally slipped out of the boys' cabin at around 11:45 p.m. in an orderly fashion as they made their way quietly to their rivals cabins. They decided to take a trail that was the farthest from all the cabins just to make sure nobody could detect them coming. Plus whoever was on night patrol always checked that specific trail last.

"Carol?" Michonne studied the girl beside her who had one too many bags. "What are you carrying?" She questioned.

"Mm… the bagunderAbe'sbed." Carol mumbled, mushing the last few words together as she kept her eyes on the trail in front of her.

Despite Carol's effort Michonne caught onto every word. "You- are you crazy?!" She questioned trying to keep her voice low while her face showed clear shock. "You took the bag that Rosita specifically told us _not_ to take?!" Her once soft whispers turned into a hushed voice.

"Her words were saying no but her eyes were saying yes." Carol said with certainty.

"No I'm pretty sure her eyes were saying no too." Michonne shook her head. "I am not apart of whatever you're planning, deal?"

"Have faith in me Michonne. It's not like I'm gonna go around blowing people up." Carol assured.

Michonne gave Carol a questioning side-eye look before a cry from Lori caught their attention.

"Look!" Lori extended her arm out to point before retracting it and ducking her head down seconds before a water balloon came flying at her, hitting the concrete ground behind her. "They're here!" Lori shouted taking a paintball gun from Shane as she pulled the trigger sending paint flying in the direction that the water balloon was thrown.

The fight was on.

Quickly, the Walking Dead team took action as more balloons came flying at them.

Shane and Rick got low and moved to the side of the trail where they took refuge behind a bush and set up their paint guns on some nice sized rocks and began shooting, hitting a few of their targets.

"Shane stay here I'm gonna run to the other side an' see if I can get better aim." Rick stated.

"Okay. I'll cover you bro." Shane assured as he intently watched his best friend run through the dark battlefield. From the corner of his eye Shane could see Enid pop out from behind a bush and before he could pull his own trigger, Enid had shot Rick in the shoulder. Shane watched in disbelief as his friend fell back on the concrete path. "NOOO!" Shane shouted dramatically as he stood up from his station behind the shrubbery. He kept his finger on the trigger - hitting anything and everything in view as he continued to make his way towards his fallen friend.

"Michonne! You good?" Glenn ran up to his team mate and offered a hand to help her stand after a water balloon caught her by surprise.

The girl gladly took it and ran with Glenn to get cover from all the other balloon bombs being thrown. "Here take this!" Michonne handed him her paint gun.

"Don't you need it?" The boy questioned.

"No, my aim sucks!" She stated before chucking an empty silly string can at Aiden but of course, she missed completely. "I need a melee weapon." She muttered loud enough for Glenn to here.

"Like. . . a sword?" Glenn raised a brow in question as he looked quickly around all of his surroundings.

"Something like that." Michonne nodded before running in the direction of Kelly, who had been sprayed with watered-down syrup.

Daryl had yet to see Ed and that was the only reason he had yet to use any of his weapons. He was saving all his ammo for the creep who had put hands on Carol. "Rick, there's another trail back that way." Daryl pointed in the direction opposite from their rivals. "It leads to the other side of this trail. I'll go sneak up 'n attack 'em from behind."

"Are you sure about that?" Rick gave his teammate a questioning look.

"Glenn told me about it. He thinks it'll help drown them out. Make em' run back to their cabins." Daryl assured.

"Be Careful." Rick said with a slight nod then focused back on the others.

Maggie stood her ground, blazing paint at her enemies. She had to admit that it was kinda fun but like everything in the world her moment of tranquility ended when her gun ran out of paint. Maggie moved as fast as she could to reload her gun before anyone could notice. Unfortunately, Pete noticed her vulnerability and took the opportunity to strike at the country girl standing in the middle of the battlefield.

Glenn made sure he kept an eye on Maggie. No, she currently wasn't his girlfriend but he naturally wanted to protect her the best he could. So when he saw Pete coming towards Maggie with a melon sized water balloon in hand, Glenn was on his feet and sprinting to her. "Maggie!" He shouted out in a desperate call.

It was hard for Maggie to see where she kept her paint ball pellets inside the big duffle bag she carried but it was even harder to keep her eyes on her surroundings. Immediately Maggie's head shot up at the sound of Glenn calling out for her. In an instant her eyes landed on a blond haired boy, wearing glowstick necklaces, charging at her.

Just as Pete began raising his hand that carried the water balloon, Glenn extended his arms and legs leaping into the air to block Maggie as the green water balloon came crashing into his chest sending water all over him just before he hit the ground. Maggie's mouth dropped in shock as she watched Glenn come flying through the air out of nowhere and block the balloon from hitting her. She quickly finished loading her paint gun and took aim.

Once his sight cleared, Glenn lifted his head and watched as Pete retreated back to his side of the battle field. He was covered in bright pink paint. Making sure the coast was clear from any more enemies, the now dripping wet teen got up and faced a shocked Maggie.

"Glenn! You took a water balloon to the face for me. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Maggie smiled wrapping her arms around the soaked boy not caring if she also got wet.

"You two need back up?" Rosita ran up to Glenn and Maggie. She was actually just going around and subtly checking if any of her teens had any type of cuts or bruises on their skin and needed any medical assistance.

"No. We can handle it." Maggie assured with determination.

"Okay…" Rosita nodded before looking around with her night vision binoculars. "Wait… where's Carol?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Daryl listened to the faint shouts off in the distance as he walked down a quiet low lit path. He was surprised that nobody seemed to be coming out of some of the the closer cabins to check out what the commotion was but then again everybody in camp was probably dead asleep, as they should be, and he guessed the fight was still pretty far from the cabins that were nearest them.

As he got further down the trail nothing seemed familiar to him and Daryl debated heading back up the trail his team was on to help them in combat against the others but he had to remind himself of his task to creep up on his rivals and attack from behind like Glenn had mentioned.

Being left in the silence of the night made Daryl's mind wander. He always hated the feeling of being alone, though he'd never admit it, but lately for some reason he hated it even more.

Daryl didn't know what he was going to do when summer ended since the only friends he had were at camp. Was he really already looking forward to next summer? Then again, would any of his teammates return to camp next summer? They had all pretty much said the main reason they were here was that their parents had sent them. None of them had chosen to spend their summer at this camp. Daryl sighed. His world would never be the same once he returned home. Guys like him didn't care for anything except themselves and their family… if they even had a family. Only, now Daryl had actual friends that he trusted and counted on.

The boy's thoughts were interrupted when he saw a dark figure further up the trail. As the figure came closer into the lights that were on both sides of the trail, Daryl recognized the mysterious figure at once.

"Daryl? Oh man. Well ain't this somethin'." The voice chuckled. "It's like a match made in heaven, ain't it?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes and looked as if he had swallowed a whole lemon. "Ed."

Ed smiled just to annoy the Dixon boy. "Well Pretty Boy… just me and you now. An' a little birdy told me that you wanted ta… what were the exact words? Oh yeah! 'Punch my face in'. I'd like to see you _try_." Ed said with his infamous smirk to top it off.

"The only one who's gonna _try_ is you." Daryl let out a smirk of his own.

"That's your problem DICK-son, you think you're better than everyone."

"Well I sure as hell know I'm better than you Peltier. I don't go puttin' hands on a girl." Daryl stated keeping his voice low in a growl-like tone as he walked closer to Ed. The sensation of a flame lighting in his stomach grew immensely with each second that passed.

"Please. She wanted it." Ed slurred as the corner of his thin lips curled up in a smarmy smirk.

That was it. Daryl was enraged with madness. Ed had done nothing but wrong and Daryl was going to put a stop to it. Even if it wasn't his place to.

Two heavy hands came down on Ed as Daryl grabbed fist fulls of the boys shirt threatening Ed with every evil word Daryl was taught from his older brother. Though his words sounded promising it was definitely not soothing for Ed to imagine all the things Daryl said he was going to do to him.

"Stop! Daryl, let him go!" A voice cried out.

Immediately Daryl obeyed only because the soft toned voice sounded exactly like, "Carol?"

The girl ran til she stopped in between both boys that shared the same murderous look. "You two are not going to fight. I won't let you." Carol said finding herself in a similar situation she'd once been in on the first day of camp. Only she knew that that these two were a much more volatile mix than Shane and Daryl.

"And you're gonna stop us?" Ed snickered at the thought of that.

Carol -very slowly- raised one brow. "I think I just did."

Slowly Ed's smile faded as he quickly glanced at the Dixon boy standing behind the petite girl. "I miss those smart comments, I really do." This time Ed's chuckle sounded forced. "I'm glad you're here. I thought me and Daryl were gonna have a mature talk, then he went off, said he wanted to fight me." Ed swore causing Daryl to tighten his fists but the other teen remained quiet. "Sorry ta tell you Carol but the redneck is bat shit crazy. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"Keepin' her safe by forcing her to do things she don't wanna do?" Daryl questioned, his voice rising like his blood pressure.

Ed made it a point to eye Daryl a second longer before looking Carol in the eye. "I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. There is no excuse for my actions… I just want you to know that it will never happen again. I promise." Ed said with the most earnest of faces.

Carol nodded. "Well thank-you for your apology bu-"

"So you're givin' me another chance?" Ed's smile was part hopeful and part cocky, making sure to throw Daryl a taunting smirk in the mix.

Carol liked that Ed really seemed sincere about his apology… well that was until he insulted Daryl and she saw the mean smirks he was giving the boy she really cared about. In the end, it didn't matter about what Ed hoped would happen. Carol had already made a decision with the help of Rosita and the girls. "N-"

"No she ain't! She was jus' sayin' thank-you. Don't know why though, you've done nothin' but hurt her." Daryl shot his words out as fierce and fast as a firing bullet, and as he tried to step in front of Carol she held out her arm to stop him.

"Shut up man! I'm tired of you runnin' your dang mouth!" Ed walked till the only thing in his way of punching Daryl was the auburn haired girl the two had been going on about.

Not that this wasn't exciting but Carol couldn't stand for anymore of the endless nonsense the two boys kept throwing at each other. All she truly wanted at that point was to say what she needed to say and leave. "That's enough." Carol spoke up, surprised at how much she sounded like her mother and Rosita combined.

At the sound of Carol's tone Daryl surprisingly began to calm down and took a small step back so that he wasn't crowding Carol and also so that she wasn't pushed any closer to Ed. Though he was still engulfed with anger, Carol gave him an even stronger feeling. One that he could not explain. "Car-"

"Just let me say my piece." Carol cut him off before taking a deep breath in. "Ed, you are the most obnoxious person I have ever met." She bluntly stated looking at the dunce jock. "Most of our conversations were about _you_ and I'm truly just in shock that I haven't died from boredom yet!" Carol went off causing both boys to watch in silence as the frustrated girl went on her rant. "And I am sick of you belittling _my_ team! They are _my_ friends and I honestly couldn't care less about your stupid opinions."

Ed's mouth hung to the ground in shock listening to the petite girl say such words. "Carol you don't mean that-"

"Yeah I do. I mean _every_ word, Ed. I just can't spend the rest of my summer living this lie. And it wouldn't matter how much you try to fight for me because I like Daryl _not_ you!"

Daryl was in awe as he hung on to every word Carol said, hearing them clear as day - wait … what did she just say?

There was _no way_ he heard that right.

Did Carol just say that she liked _him_ and not Ed?

Daryl stood in bewilderment. He was dazed and confused. The world around him was spinning at the speed of light.

What was happening to him? His stomach felt weird and his breathing kept getting caught in his throat.

Slowly Daryl lifted his eyes and focused them on the two people in front of him. Ed's face showed complete and utter devastation.

 _Man, what Tara would do to see Ed's face right now._ Daryl tried to focus on other things in hopes his heart wouldn't beat out of his chest.

A brief glance was all Carol gave him as she turned and walked off. Though the darkness outweighed the small trail lanterns, there was still enough light for Daryl to notice the tint of red on her cheeks. Anything that he had left to say about Ed was summed up by Carol in her speech.

"What she said." Daryl ducked his head avoiding eye contact from the boy who stood a few feet away as the once smug expression was gone without a trace.

Quickly Daryl cleared his throat and turned in the direction Carol had taken after she walked away, leaving Ed in the middle of the silent and lonely trail.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Give it up losers!" Shane yelled trying to spot any movement from the darkness he stood in.

"GO! RUN!" Aiden shouted as he came running towards Shane but sidestepped him and continued running without even trying to hit him with a water balloon that was still clutched in his hands.

Shane made no effort in trying to attack Aiden either. "The hell is wrong with that kid?" He turned to Rick, who just shrugged. Shane shook it off and reloaded his gun before more of the Terminus team came running towards them shouting for everyone to go the other way.

"Move your feet, now!" Andrea ordered. "You're going to get all of us caught." She muttered in a sour tone as she picked up her pace.

Quickly, Rick grabbed a hold of Gabriel before the boy could run past him. "What is it? What are you running from?"

"Night guard." Gabriel said through his heavy breaths before he managed to squirm free from Rick's grip and took off after his team.

Rick turned, looking wide eyed at Shane before the both of them broke into a full on sprint in the direction Terminus was running in.

"Get your things Maggie, we gotta go!" Shane said as he helped her pick up a duffel bag and pushed her to start running.

"What's goin' on?" Maggie questioned, matching Shane's speed.

"Night prowl, we can't lead them back to our cabin... we gotta find a place to hide." He explained looking frantically around his surroundings.

"Tara and Kelly were back there!" Maggie's eyes widened.

"I'm sure they got out." Shane assured, as he lead Maggie onto a different trail as quickly as possible so that they wouldn't get caught.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Carol, slow down!" Daryl called out trying his best to keep a low yet loud enough voice to catch her attention.

Though her cheeks felt like they had already burnt off, she could feel them get even hotter. She didn't like the feeling of being exposed especially now that Daryl knew how she felt about him.

"What's wrong?" Daryl questioned once he caught up to her though he was still trying to match the speed of her walk. When she didn't answer, Daryl huffed and reached for her arm stopping her as he moved himself in front of her. "Talk to me, Carol." He was shocked to not only hear the plea in his voice but to feel the overwhelming wave of emotion that came with it.

Carol shook her head, "Our group probably needs us right n-"

"I don't care." Daryl cut her off as he let go of the gentle grip he had on her shoulder. "I know something's botherin' you." When she nodded, he was surprised that he got her to respond. "Tell me."

"I just… I'm sorry that I brought you up like that when I went off on Ed. I was just so angry at him and his stupid smirk." Carol smiled when she heard a slight chuckle from Daryl.

"He does have a dumb smirk." Daryl thought aloud. "It was nothing compared to the dumbstruck look that was on his face when you walked away. N' it's okay Carol. At least Ed will leave you alone now, that's all that matters." Daryl shrugged.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Carol looked up at him and smiled. "This summer was definitely eventful."

"Yeah…" Daryl nodded. "The scary thing is that it ain't even over yet. We got two more weeks."

Carol nodded before they shared a few moments of silence, the sounds of their team still faint in the night.

"Carol…" Daryl cleared his throat. "When you told Ed you liked me…" _what the hell am I doing? Shut up! Just leave it alone! You don't gotta be bringin' stuff like that up! -Can't go back now, she's already waiting for you to continue._ "You mean it?"

Carol felt like a deer caught in headlights. She was so unsure on how to answer him. Though she was sure Daryl _didn't_ like her the way she liked him, Kelly was very adamant that he _did_. Maybe for once Kelly was right. "Yes."

Daryl nodded and lowered his head to the concrete trail, hiding the smile that refused to go way. He was so nervous and was pretty sure that the atmosphere was ready to come crashing down on him. It definitely didn't help that he had no experience with what to do after the girl you like says they like you back. "Uh-"

"Oh god. I'm so stupid." The tone of her voice caused Daryl to immediately look back up at her. Humiliation took over when Carol noticed that Daryl was probably trying to find a nice way to tell her that he just wanted to be friends. "I knew you didn't like me _that_ way- I just… can we just forget I even said anything and stay friends? Please?" She asked in a rush.

Now Daryl was confused. He was still trying to understand what she was saying even though it was pretty clear that she must have changed her mind. She probably realized just how much of a loser he really was. And she probably wanted to be back with Ed, that's why she must have been so upset.

Daryl couldn't say that he was shocked, he knew it was just too good to be true to have someone like her-

 _WAIT._

 _Did she say she knew_ _I_ _didn't like her? She thinks_ _I,_ _Daryl Dixon, do not like her, Carol_ _Elizabeth Owen. I still remember her middle name for crying out loud… N' I thought I was pretty obvious with droppin' hints- at least that's what Kelly tells me._

"Wait... Carol, how could you think that I don't li-"

"RUN!" A voice shouted at both Daryl and Carol as they quickly turned to see Pete running passed them with panic in his eyes. "NIGHT WATCH IS COMING!"

"Shit." Daryl mumbled before immediately turning to Carol. "We gotta get to the others!" He stated before looking at the different trails to see which one would get them to wherever their team was.

Carol pulled Daryl back before he could decide which direction. "No what they need is a distraction- we're that distraction."

"What the hell are we gonna do?" Daryl furrowed a brow in confusion.

"Just... follow me." Carol turned, leading Daryl onto a dark path that was shadowed with tall trees.

Daryl didn't ask any questions seeing that Carol seemed so sure. Every time they passed a certain amount of trees, Daryl would get out his silly string and mark it so that way they could find their way back to their cabins.

As they passed through the trees Daryl started to recognize the large field of short cut grass. "Why are we here?"

"Remember the bag Rosita told us not to take? Well I took it." Carol stated as she unstrapped the duffle bag off her shoulders and set in on the ground.

"You- you did?" Daryl questioned trying his best to not sound shocked. The more he got to know her, the more he liked her.

"Yeah. We just got to set a few of them off and the night guard will have to investigate it." Carol assured.

Daryl took in the sight of Carol as she set up the fireworks, tying the ends together so that they'd set off at the same time. She never did anything that he expected her to do. Every time he thought he had her figured out Carol went and did something out of left field. Though he furrowed a brow when he saw her looking back and forth from the lighter to the fireworks. "Do you know how to light them?"

"Not really… do you?" Carol looked up at him with some hope.

Daryl didn't even fight the smile that grew on his face. "Yeah." He nodded before taking the lighter from her. He knelt down and swiped the match along its cardboard case before putting the lit match to the bottle rockets.

Daryl rushed back with Carol just in time as the fireworks made loud popping sounds, taking off in the air, zipping through the night sky, and exploding in the air as bright embers slowly began to fall.

Again Daryl went back to the bag of fireworks this time instead of setting all of them off at the same time, he lined them up and lit them off one-by-one. He was in a rush, trying to finish lighting them before the first one could set off, and as he came to the last firework and lit it it completely tipped over.

Daryl hesitated to reach out and stand it straight up again but when he finally went for it Carol came up from behind him pulling him back as they both fell on their butts seconds before each individual firework took off into the starry night.

Daryl began to push himself further away, he grabbed Carol's arm and started pulling her back as well before the tipped bottle rocket took off.

Daryl intensely watched in disbelief as the rocket flew right into a canoe that was floating in the middle of the lake.

Both Daryl and Carol watched, mouths hung open, as the canoe went up in flames. They weren't even paying any attention to the fireworks that were exploding in the sky above them.

Carol slowly began to stand not taking her eyes off of the burning boat. "Do you think someone was in there?" She asked, absentmindedly praying that there hadn't been.

"Probably." Daryl deadpanned only to turn and see worry all over Carol's face. "But I'm sure there wasn't." He patted her shoulder before he was trapped by her big blue eyes that were still bright even in the dark. "We should get goin'." He cleared his throat and looked back to the lake were the blazing canoe's flames grew even higher.

Carol bit her lip as she followed his gaze and began to stare at the fireball in the lake as well. "So…are we still…friends?" The last word was barely audible but Daryl still heard it.

He could see her looking up at him from his peripheral vision. Like Carol had said earlier, they only had two weeks left of camp and he wasn't going to waste what little time he had left. "No." His voice was harsher than he anticipated. He turned to her shaking his head. _The hell am I doin'?_ "You like me Carol and guess what…I like you too. N' I can bet that I liked you first." Daryl stated while doing everything in his power to avoid her eyes, instead he settled on looking at the freckles on her cheeks that were visible only because of the burning canoe.

Carol's face heated up and, like usual, her pale cheeks turned to a subtle red. "You mean it?"

Daryl nodded before he took a step toward her, his older brother's words echoing in his head, _when you like ah girl, you gotta show her how much._ With that in mind, Daryl slid his hand around her side and pulled her close to him as he leaned forward softly pressing his lips against hers and they kissed. Daryl kept his eyes shut hoping and praying that he was making the right move, though he guessed he was since she was kissing him back.

When Daryl pulled back Carol slowly opened her eyes, her heart going wild, and her vision almost blurry. She blinked her eyes to clear them and stared into Daryl's deep blue eyes for a moment before she pulled him back in for another kiss.

Daryl was surprised for a second before eagerly responding. He was bursting with different emotions; he was happy, excited, and nervous. Daryl had never kissed anyone before, not that he would admit that to anybody, but kissing _her_ was electrifying. He felt that no one could take away this moment. A few moments later, she pulled back and took a step back to catch her breath.

Carol was shocked. She could not believe that she had just gone back to kiss him like that.

"Sorry." Carol muttered while ducking her head.

"Don't be." Daryl replied, reaching out for her arm only to stop halfway. "'less you regret it." He said feeling anxious as he took a step back.

Carol looked up in alarm. She started to shake her head. "No! I… kinda... liked it…"

"Only kinda? Well at least that's somethin'…" Daryl froze as his heart dropped to his feet. _Did I really just say that out loud?_

Carol's eyes widened. "No, I mean, I _really really_ liked the kiss - both of them. Did you?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I've never felt anything like that before with anybody."

Carol smiled and blushed at his words and Daryl couldn't help but think that if Merle were here right now he would be laughing his ass off and calling him a love sick puppy.

Daryl shook his head and cleared his mind, focusing on Carol. "What does this mean for us?"

Carol froze before putting the ball back in his court. "What do you want this to mean for us?"

Daryl gulped. Guess it only meant one thing but how was he supposed to ask? _Please Daryl, if Glenn could do it, then so can you! You're a Dixon you get what you want, and man do I want her._ "Ya-you wanna be my girlfriend?" Daryl questioned- his heart stopping completely once he realized how stupid he sounded. _Yeah, Merle would definitely be rolling around on the floor, laughing his ass off right about now._

Carol stood on her tiptoes as she kissed the side of his face. "That would be nice." She said into his chest as she hugged him and listened to his beating heart.

Daryl smiled to himself as he held her back but the sight of the canoe, that started to sink, causing the flames to go down brought him back to where they were standing. "Carol, we- we really need to go."

"Right." She glanced back at the lake as the last of the canoe went under eliminating any light that was left.

With that Daryl grabbed Carol's hand and the duffel bag that she'd carried and lead the way back to the cabins.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

It was 6:30 in the morning when Shane almost cried as Abraham woke him up and told him to head to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for the camp. Surprisingly it had only taken the sleep-deprived boy five minutes to get fully dressed and out of the cabin as he made his way to the cafeteria. Shane whistled as he walked down the path he usually took. He was secretly excited to see what he would help make, cooking just came naturally to him and he actually enjoyed it.

As he walked into the kitchen he stopped dead in his tracks when he found not only Mary but, "Tara? Kelly? What are you two- don't tell me you two got caught for the second time last night."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you then." Kelly sighed.

"Yeah and trust me when I say I got on my hands and knees begging to do anything other than serve food again." Tara grimaced. "I even offered to clean toilets." She said feeling a shiver go down her spine at her own words.

Shane sighed deeply and shook his head. "You know where the hairnets are ladies."

"I don't." A voice came from behind Tara and Kelly and as the two girls moved apart Shane's mouth fell agape as his worst fear came to life.

"Yeah, uh, Andrea, kinda- you know...got caught too." Tara looked from Shane to the girl from the other team then back to Shane.

Kelly bit her lip. It was going to be a _long_ week. "I'll get the hairnets then." She said quietly to herself as she made her way to the cabinet that the nets were in.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Lori furrowed a brow as she looked at her team. Something just didn't seem right. "Okay, am I missing something?"

"Missing what?" Glenn questioned.

"I don't know… something seems different." Lori turned to Carol and studied her. "Where _exactly_ did you go when you disappeared into the night?"

"I'm with Daryl-I _went_ with Daryl…gosh I can't speak today." Carol bit her lip and lowered her head to the ground.

"Sure." Now Lori directed her glare at Daryl. "And where did you two go?"

"We were the ones that set the fireworks off. We already went over this last night, why you askin' so many questions?" Daryl remained calm on the outside though he could feel himself start to sweat. The brunette had a fierce vibe to her that almost came close to Maggie's. He and Carol had promised not to tell the others about their relationship until they were more comfortable with it themselves, and Daryl especially didn't want to be bombarded with questions from the guys. He wasn't the kiss and tell kind of guy, granted his first kiss _was_ last night.

"It's just that my love radar is going off the hook- and I'm _never_ wrong when I feel that two people are going out. It's been like this for a few days now and last night it just went completely out of whack." Lori stated as Rick and Michonne secretly shared a worried glance. "Lord knows that Maggie and Glenn haven't gotten back together, so who is it?" She demanded.

"Hey!" Glenn interrupted feeling insulted at the insinuation.

Lori raised a brow. "So you mean to tell that you two are dating again?"

"No, but maybe we will." Maggie folded her arms across her chest.

"When that happens, I'll be sure to bring it up. Until then…" Lori shook her head before looking at the others in her group. "Shane? Kelly? Is there something you wanna tell us?"

"I wish." Shane spoke up. "Listen, if Kelly would go out with me, I'll let all of Georgia know the second it happens." He assured.

"He's got a point." Kelly shrugged.

"Fine." Lori raised her hands in surrender. "Don't think that I won't find out though. Like I said, I am _never_ wrong about these things."

"Never wrong about what things?" Rosita came walking up with Abraham at her side.

"Oh nothing." Lori sighed, secretly eyeing each of her team members as she could see the fear in some of their eyes.

"Okay... let's get ready for the games then." Abraham encouraged his group.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Morning quickly turned into noon as the Walking Dead and Terminus competed in a type of Iron Man Marathon where all members on a team had to contribute in an event.

With each event, the competitors remained neck-and-neck. It seemed that last night had only intensified the anger between both teams. They were surprisingly not talking trash - instead they were showing their hatred through their actions.

At least that was what Rick was doing.

It was the sixth event of the day and he was to be running a mile-and-a-half long run through the steep up and down hill trails. He was going against Aiden and the last time Rick had seen his competitor was when the referee blew the whistle.

Rick had his hands balled in fists as he chugged up one of the steeper trails, sweat dripping from his forehead. He couldn't tell you how long he had been running but the burning in his calves and thighs told him it had been a while, still he didn't stop. The heat was certainly not helping and he could feel himself start to slow until a faint huffing sound was coming from behind him.

It was Aiden.

 _One more hill!_ He promised himself. He didn't know if that was true but it was enough for him to start going faster once more.

Again Rick leaned forward, swinging his arms back and forth, extending his legs further as he came to the top then let gravity help him as he made his way down. The sight of his team was the best thing he'd ever seen in that moment - though his vision was somewhat blurry.

The loud cheers of his group members filled his ears, his best friend's cheers being the loudest of them all.

It felt so good as the red ribbon broke across his chest indicating that he was done. Immediately Rick fell to the ground as Shane quickly poured a cold bottle of water over him, congratulating him.

After Rick, Michonne was up. She would start biking from where Rick had finished and end when she reached the lake which was a great distance away.

She was going against Jessie. Both girls got onto their bikes and waited for the whistle to sound off. Michonne glanced over to her team with an unsure expression and right before the whistle blew, Maggie assured her that she'd do just great.

With that Michonne took off pushing down hard on her pedals.

For the most part the two girls had been at the same pace until Jessie lost her balance when her bike went over a few large pebbles, which caused her to lose control of her steering for a few seconds.

Those few seconds were just enough to put Michonne in the lead.

Everything was going well on the course, well that, or Jessie was just a horrible bike rider, because again she lost control of her steering. Seeing the large distance between her and her competitor, Michonne decided to take in the all-natural view as she enjoyed her nice paced bike ride towards her victory. Sooner than she'd expected, she came to a clean stop right over the white line that read 'finish'.

After Michonne's win it was now time for the final game of the day which was to swim the whole length of the lake, and who ever made it to the other side first, won.

Daryl was up and of course his competitor was Ed.

Daryl walked with his team to the edge of the lake. The memories of the night before coming into his mind causing him to smile as he pictured the burning canoe in the background as he kissed Carol.

Daryl was now pumped, electrolytes going wild in his blood at the fact that his event was swimming. In the winters when he went fishing, he'd have to jump in the raging rivers to set up large fishnets, making him a much stronger and faster swimmer.

"You're going to do great Daryl!" Tara jumped in excitement. "Make me proud- I mean _us_ , make _us_ proud!"

"No pressure though." Lori quickly added in with smile.

Daryl nodded, he was getting caught up in all the excitement he was feeling and that his friends were exuding. He would have never imagined having a large group of people wishing him the best but he actually had it. It was strange but it certainly felt great.

With that Daryl turned back to the lake as he pushed all his worries and thoughts to the back of his mind before lifting his shirt up and over his head and tossing it to the side.

A few gasps from behind him made him realize what he had just done.

Daryl felt paralyzed. He tried to move but was physically unable to.

He had just revealed his darkest secret to the nine people standing behind him. A secret that _only_ his older brother had known about. Well his brother, a family court judge, and a select few others who were privy to what happened all those years ago.

It was too late to go back, too late to rewind time. The deep scars on his upper and lower back were on display for everyone to view like a painting in an art gallery.

Then reality hit him hard in the face. These people were nothing like him. They didn't live in trailer homes or have a daddy that abused them. They didn't get it and he didn't expect them to. How could he do this to himself? How could he make himself believe that he could be normal?

Every ounce of his body tensed as he slowly turned around. He kept his eyes on the ground, too ashamed to look any of them in the eye.

His shame quickly turned to anger as it spread throughout his body.

Maggie's heart felt heavy as she stared at the boy who she only knew to be strong and brave yet now seeing him look so weak and scared, tore her apart. "Daryl...we-we didn't know." Her voice weaving in and out of a whisper as tears threatened to fall.

"No...no you didn't know. Not any one of you!" He growled. "The hell did you want me to say? My dad beat me so bad that now my older brother has to legally take care of me!" Daryl shook his head before his eyes landed on Carol. He huffed as he reached down and snatched up his shirt from the ground and walked away.

Shane lowered his head and shut his eyes. He felt a weird pressure on his chest like his heart was lifting weights. There was no doubt in his mind that Daryl was the strongest kid their age and he literally had the scars to prove it. And what Daryl had said really stuck in Shane's head as he watched the angry boy stomp off.

 _Why the hell is he mad at us? It's not like we told him to take off his shirt._ Tara huffed as Daryl walked off. She felt herself get mad before her emotions quickly turned to hurt. Now it was clear why Daryl had been so closed off in the beginning.

Kelly watched the water in the lake as the ripples moved together in the same direction while her group watched Daryl storm off. Seeing him fall apart yet still try to keep it together was so hard to watch. She needed a distraction before she broke down crying right beside Maggie.

"I'll swim the lake, just someone, _please_ , go talk to Daryl." Kelly stated before a loud gun fired off. Quickly, Kelly slipped off her shoes and jumped into the lake and began the swim, her speed surprisingly faster than Ed's.

Without hesitation Carol took off in the direction Daryl had gone. She didn't know what she would say to him when she caught up, but she knew he needed her.

"Daryl! Daryl!" Carol called out. "Can you talk to me, _please_!"

"Jus' go way." Daryl shouted over his shoulder trying his best to not stop. "The fuck is wrong with you people, always wanting to help when no one's asking for it."

"We just want to make sure you're okay." When her words left her mouth he immediately stopped. She could see that he was thinking and was surprised when he turned to face her.

"Well don't." He stared straight into her eyes. "I don't know why I even came here to this stupid camp." He muttered before turning back around.

"Daryl, please." Carol pleaded. "They're your friends, they'll understand-"

"No!" He barked. "You people aren't like me. You don't know me _either_! You ain't got any scars the way I do. So you wouldn't understand- you _don't_ understand." He stated before he began to pace. "I shoulda left the first chance I got!"

Carol narrowed her eyes and raised a challenging brow. "Then why didn't you?"

"I- I don't know." Daryl wrinkled his brows as if the reason wasn't standing right in front of him.

"Well I _do_... Daryl, you aren't the redneck bad boy people assume you to be. You're just, _not_ , okay? You have proven to our team how much you truly care whether you like it or not. You're exactly like us, that's why you stayed. Who you are here, that is the _real_ Daryl Dixon. Sure, you got some scars on your back, but that's not going to change the way I think of you, _ever_."

Daryl lowered his head feeling like a complete drama _queen._ "I jus' thought you'd act differently if you knew." He shrugged.

"I know it's hard, but you can trust us. We're here for you Daryl, just like you're here for us." When Daryl nodded, a smile grew on Carol's face. She walked up to him and hugged him as he wrapped his arms around her resting his chin on her head.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Rick came walking up to the two after losing an intense game of rock, paper, scissors.

Carol turned to Rick with a nod. "I think it will be." She assured as she kept her arm wrapped around Daryl's.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Rick, the way I acted-"

"That's not on you, Daryl. It's not on you. Havin' you okay, that's what matters."

Daryl just nodded. "I'm good."

"Good." Rick nodded back as he swallowed hard. "I'm sure the others wanna see you."

"Why?" Daryl lowered a brow. "After the scene I jus' put on? I can't face 'em."

"Okay but you're gonna have to tell Maggie that 'cause I promised I'd bring you back and if I show up empty handed it'll be your ass that she kicks." Rick explained.

Daryl's eyes widened. If there was a bigger secret he had, besides the scars on his back, it would be his fear of Maggie. "Let's not keep her waitin' then." He stated, trying his best to not give away any hints.

Daryl lead the way back to the lake. His mind tried to grasp the idea of acceptance, it was something he never really understood, though he felt calm knowing that everything was going to be okay - well, if Maggie didn't kill him for not being truthful, but Carol and Rick had been so reassuring that she wouldn't.

"Daryl!" Maggie exclaimed, surprised that Rick had actually followed through with his promise.

"Hey." He gave her a weak smile and looked to the others. "Sorry 'bout my little... hissy fit."

"Don't apologize, you kinda had the right to be mad." Shane shrugged. "You know that we're here for you man, right?"

"Do now." Daryl nodded.

Shane debated on whether he should continue or not. He was never good with using words to describe his feelings so he'd usually let Rick say the lovey-dovey things, but this time it needed to be said by him. "On that note, I don't care what anybody else says- we're a family, man. What we have… that's _gotta_ be somethin' more than a friendship, right? It _has_ to be. And I know that I'm not just speaking for myself here."

"I here ya." Daryl said before shock took over him as Shane pulled him in and patted his back. _Walsh giving hugs? The world's gotta be ending._

Tara smiled at the sight of the two boys hugging and when Shane stepped back she rushed in, almost tackling Daryl to the ground.

 _Hell must be near if Tara was giving out hugs too._ Nonetheless he held her back but couldn't help but ask, "Tara? Are you… hugging me?"

Tara huffed and nodded before replying, "Well I'm not strangling you. Why don't boys understand hugs?"

"Must be a guy thing." Michonne shrugged.

"But Shane and Daryl just hugged." Maggie pointed out.

"Excuse me! It's called a bro hug. It wasn't actually a hug!" Shane said before he realized how much he was sounding like a girl.

"I don't care what it's called, a hug is a hug." Tara stated as she finally pulled away from Daryl.

After she let go, Lori cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you're okay, Daryl." She gave him a sweet smile. "Let's face it, without you, our puzzle wouldn't be complete. Those scars on your back don't define you as a person. I know you're better than that Daryl, and I know you know that already. I just wanted to remind you because I think you forget how cool you really are sometimes."

"Wow Lori… that was, actually nice." Michonne said trying hard to not show her shock but ended up failing miserably.

"What? I can be a nice person!" Lori said in offense as she dramatically flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"I'm sensing a group hug." Tara squealed.

"Well sense again." Shane huffed before he was unwillingly pulled into the arms of his team members.

In the center of the group was Daryl, sure it was nice to know that he had the support of his friends but being trapped the way he was brought him to his third biggest fear - being confined in tiny places… no wonder he loved the outdoors.

"I won." An exhausted voice caused everyone to break apart as their eyes landed on Kelly who was dripping wet. "I'm gonna go dry off." She stated and before anyone could say anything to her she, very stiffly, walked way.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After the long day, Maggie decided to head out for a walk by herself to help clear her head. She enjoyed the sounds of nature as the birds sang soft songs and the bushes swayed to the touch of the warm summer's breeze. She pushed herself up on a large rock and sat down to watch the sun slowly move it's way under the horizon as it turned the sky a soft orange.

Maggie took her gaze off the sky for a quick second before her eyes instantly landed on the very boy she had been thinking about.

"Glenn?" Maggie leaned forward. "What are you up to?"

"I was actually trying to find a good spot to watch the sky- looks like you beat me to it." He let out a soft chuckle as he felt somewhat awkward. Truth was, he and Rick both saw Maggie walk up this trail and Rick made him go after her.

"You watch the sunset too?" Maggie questioned a little surprised.

 _Now I do._ "Just sometimes." Glenn shrugged.

"Well, it jus' so happens that there's enough space up here for two." She patted the solid stone she was on.

Glenn smiled as he got himself up on the rock, settling down beside Maggie. "The sky loo-"

"I know." Maggie turned to look at him with a smirk across her lips. "You're gonna tell me the sky looks beautiful, even though we both know you're actually tryin' to give me a compliment." Her smile grew when Glenn's mouth dropped. "That's all you've ever done, Glenn, was make me feel special. So how about I give you some compliments for a change."

Glenn raised a brow. "You don't have to do that, Maggie."

"I know, but I want to." She said as she slid her hand into his. "Glenn," She started before her cheeks turned a bright red. "You are the kindest and sweetest guy I have _ever_ met. You're smart, funny, and I love how when you get nervous you start to tell jokes and though nobody laughs out loud, I can tell that they want to." Maggie loved seeing that she had made him smile from her words. She took in some air before she looked him directly in his warm brown eyes. "You bring out the best in people. You bring out the best in _me_. I'd be the luckiest girl in the world if you, Glenn Rhee took me as your girlfriend."

"Maggie Greene, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" Glenn lifted a brow.

A soft giggle came from her as she nodded. "I am."

Glenn looked over the soft edges of her face before he fell into the the pool of blue in her eyes. "Of course." He whispered while grabbing the side of her face with a gentle hand and leaning in, he locked his lips with hers.

* * *

 ** _So sorry for the long wait! I was focusing on school, but I'm back now! This chapter is brought to you by the reviewer: Rickyl is life. Thank you so much for providing the idea of Walking Dead team finding out about Daryl's scars. I enjoyed writing it! (If y'all have little cute moments you would like to see in a chapter, be sure to mention it in a review!)_**

 ** _Next chapter: A sweet Rosita and Abraham moment! Of course Richonne, Glaggie, and Caryl ( but will the group find out about these couples? You'll have to wait and see!)_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	15. Chapter 14: JSS

**Chapter 14: J.S.S**

Michonne couldn't help but to smile as she made her way over to Rick, who was leaning up against a tall tree. She'd been secretly sneaking out of her cabin early in the morning for the past few days just to see him and spend time with him away from the rest of the group.

"I'm so happy to see you." Rick smiled as he pulled her into a hug.

"You are? Did something happen?" Michonne questioned as she pulled back.

"No. I just love seeing you, that's all." He assured making her smile grow. "Ready for our morning stroll?" He questioned taking her hand in his.

"Stroll? You make us sound so old." Michonne giggled, nudging Rick's shoulder. "But, yes, I'm ready."

Rick pressed a quick kiss to Michonne's cheek, then lead the way down one of the paths that sort of looked familiar. Hand in hand with Michonne, he walked slowly under the cool shade of the tall oak trees. They came to a stop when they were surrounded by colorful bushes with blooming bright flowers.

"I should have brought my camera." Michonne said to herself out loud as she walked closer to the flowers to get a better look.

"We can come back later." Rick shrugged. "Of course later would mean that our _team_ would accompany us."

"Our team? I love them- but all of them together… they wouldn't know how to take in the silence of nature." Michonne sighed before closing her eyes, softly inhaling the smell of the different types of flowers.

Rick nodded. "Good thing it's just you and me then." He slid one arm across her lower back til his hand rested on her waist, keeping her close to him. "What's your favorite?"

"All of them." Michonne smiled and shrugged. "I'm very indecisive." She bit down on her lower lip. "How about you? Which one's your favorite?"

"You. You're my favorite." He turned to her.

Michonne leaned her head to the side trying to shake out the bubbly feeling that was making her lips curve in a smile. "I was talking about the flowers, _Romeo_." She felt so ridiculous at how her cheeks would hurt from smiling too much after spending time with Rick, and how she wanted to giggle at every little thing he said.

Rick chuckled softly before he shook his head. "I know that was really cheesy but I might as well be Romeo. Y'know, Shane _will_ kill me if he finds out we've been going out and I didn't tell him. He's my best friend, 'Chonne. I know this is gonna sound girlish but, him and I, we tell each other everything."

Michonne cringed. "I know, and I hate that I'm making you keep this from him." She sighed. "We'll tell him, and the rest of them soon, but when the time is right. I guess I've just been avoiding telling them because I… I don't want Lori to get hurt."

Rick raised a brow with a slight nod. "I'm sure she'll be fine." He shrugged. He honestly didn't think Lori liked him _that_ much. Though what he did know was that no matter what, he was with Michonne, and he wasn't going to hide his affection for her any longer.

"I really hope so. I feel like her and I have grown closer and have a much better friendship recently. I just don't want to ruin anything with her- or anyone." Michonne sighed and covered her face with both of her hands. This was really hard for Michonne because she truly cared about other people's feelings. It was important to her that she made people happy even if it meant that she and Rick couldn't be together.

"It's gonna be okay Michonne." Rick moved to stand in front of her as he gently pulled her hands away from her face. "Everything will work out." He assured before leaning in and interlocking his lips with hers.

Michonne pulled away, the feeling of butterflies never failing to appear after a kiss with Rick, which was enough to stop her worrying. She loved that he was able to make her feel better instantly- that was until a gasp from someone behind her caused all her worries to come flooding back.

 ** _Summer...Summer...Summer_**

Glenn held onto Maggie's hand as they hurriedly walked through the trails in the early morning. He wanted to show her a spot he found a few days ago when he went walking one afternoon. It was so pretty the way the trees draped over the flowerbeds shielding them from the burning sun.

"Glenn, slow down, where are we goin'?" Maggie questioned practically being dragged by Glenn towards the destination he was leading her to.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise." Glenn stated focusing on which trail he was supposed to go down- acting as if he didn't already know seeing that he'd go to this same area every day since he found it. He knew for a fact that it looked prettiest in the mornings, that's why he had to get Maggie there as fast as he could.

"Jus' slow down." Maggie tugged on his arm turning him to face her. "I wanna enjoy this walk with you." She pouted.

"We can enjoy the walk _after_ we get there." Glenn stated, softly pinching one of her cheeks before he began to tug her in his direction again.

Maggie lowered a brow, stopping completely as she slipped out of his grasp, and folded her arms across her chest. "The only way I'll continue our walk is if you promise me you'll go slower."

"Maggie, we don't have time for this." Glenn stated. He turned his back on her and crouched down using one hand to pat his upper back. "Hop on."

"Are you offerin' me a piggyback ride?" A smile spread across her lips when Glenn nodded.

"Only if it will get us there faster." He said over his shoulder.

"Deal!" Maggie said excitedly as she hoisted herself onto Glenn's back and loosely wrapped her arms around his neck.

Glenn grabbed ahold of the back of her thighs and pushed her up higher before he started to walk. "I can feel your heart racing." He smiled.

"It always does around you… that and I'm a little afraid you might drop me." Maggie bit her lower lip but let out a giggle when Glenn made a tsking sound.

"Are you questioning my strength?" He glanced up at her and smiled before focusing his eyes back on the trail.

"Course not, but if you do drop me I'm bringing you down too." She assured then started leaving tiny kisses on his cheek.

Glenn could feel his heartbeat speed up too. How was she so perfect to him? He honestly couldn't find one flaw in her, though she wouldn't believe him even if he tried to tell her.

The sight of pink and purple tulips lining both sides of the trail pulled Glenn away from his thoughts. "We're here." He looked up at the girl on his back.

"Where are we?" Maggie raised a brow as she jumped off his back.

Glenn grabbed her hand and turned a sharp corner as all kinds of different colors filled their eyes.

Maggie looked from one flowered bush to the other with her mouth agape. It was definitely a sight to take in. "Wow, Glenn, this place is… _amazing_!" Maggie cooed.

Glenn nodded feeling smug after Maggie's face lit up in awe. Though his moment of pride got ripped away from him as Maggie pulled him down till he was standing on his knees behind a bush. "What are you do-"

"Shush!" She put a finger to her lips before nodding behind him.

Glenn lowered a brow and turned to see two of his team mates. "Is that Rick and Michonne? What are they-"

"Hush!" Again Maggie motioned for him to keep quiet. "Let's sneak up on them!" Maggie whispered as a wicked smile grew upon her face.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Mags." Glenn gave her an unsettled look.

She rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine! You worry too much." She patted his arm before going past him as she practically crawled her way towards the two standing a short distance away.

Glenn found himself following close behind Maggie. He swallowed hard as they got closer - _then-_ out of _nowhere_ , without _any_ warning Rick pulled Michonne's hands into his and leaned in kissing her on the mouth.

Glenn pulled Maggie back so fast that she fell flat on top of him as a gasp, louder than he intended, escaped from his lips.

Both Rick and Michonne turned in terror to the sight of the youngest of their teammates sprawled in a heap on the ground with shock written on their faces as they both stared right back at them.

Maggie instantly stood up on her feet, quickly helping Glenn up too before she dusted off her shirt and pants trying to avoid Rick and Michonne's questioning stares.

"How long have you guys been here?!" Michonne was the one to finally break the silence, though she was already dreading the answer. It was obvious that her team members had seen just enough to assume that something was going on with her and Rick.

Maggie cleared her throat. It was beyond her why she felt so flustered since she wasn't even the one who got caught. "We-"

"What are you two even doing here?" Rick cut in. He was mad at the fact that he felt embarrassed because he never wanted to feel embarrassed about being with Michonne.

"What are _we_ doing here?! What are _you guys_ doing here?! Last time I checked, friends don't _kiss_ the way you two just did!" Glenn stated in bewilderment pointing from one older teen to the other that stood in front of him.

Maggie nudged Glenn in his side with her elbow. "Well I think it's nice y'all are dating!- I mean, if you two are dating, of course."

This was not the right time, but it's not like Michonne had any other choice but to tell them the truth. And she wasn't going to lie _especially_ not to Maggie. "Yes, Rick and I _are_ dating." She nodded as she shared a quick glance with the boy beside her.

"Well we're happy for you guys!" Maggie stated - her smile bright as ever. "How long has it been with you two?"

"Just a few days." Michonne bit her finger. She felt like she was in trouble for some reason.

"A few days?!" Maggie almost fainted. "And you haven't told any of us? Not even Shane?"

Rick nodded and looked over at Michonne- she still looked extremely worried. "We're just not ready to let them know yet." He reached for his girlfriend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Maggie smiled at that and nodded. "Well you're in luck, because we can keep a secret."

"You've got our word." Glenn reinforced with a firm nod.

Michonne sighed her relief. "We really appreciate that."

Rick nodded before he furrowed a brow. What were Glenn and Maggie doing out here by themselves? "Are… are you two back together?"

"Don't make this about us, Rick." Glenn stated before turning away to find the trail towards the cabins.

"Yeah breakfast will be starting soon anyway." Maggie shrugged following behind Glenn.

Rick and Michonne turned to each other shaking their heads at their younger team members. "How clueless do they actually think we are?"

Rick shrugged. "I dunno, but we better follow them 'cause I don't know the way back." He confessed as they both hurried to catch up with Glenn and Maggie.

 ** _Summer...Summer...Summer_**

Daryl found himself tapping the table with his fork as he chewed on his bottom lip. The day before was interesting to say the least but there was still one person he hadn't gotten the chance to speak with after his fit of anger. Someone who was serving food inside the camp's kitchen and would be done soon, hopefully.

He didn't understand why he was feeling anxious. It must have had to do with the fact that she was the first person who really got to know him before the others did.

"Daryl, are you alright?" Carol saw that Daryl was getting lost in his thoughts and was further proved correct when his head shot up at the sound of her voice. She could tell something was bothering him.

"Yeah… why?" He cleared his throat knowing for a fact that his voice wasn't very convincing.

"You sure man? You haven't touched your food." Rick spoke up.

Daryl slowly lowered his head to the tray full of food set in front of him. "Oh." Was all Daryl could think to say.

"What is it this time?" Lori raised a brow focusing on the boy who sat on the other side of the circular table.

"Nothin'." Daryl protested. He didn't like the way they were all staring at him.

"It has to be something." Lori insisted.

Daryl growled. "Fine! I just… Kelly seems a bit, weird around me. Like last night at dinner she didn't say anything n' it's like she's avoiding me." He shrugged. This was probably the first time in Daryl's life that he actually cared about how someone felt about him and right now he was worried that Kelly thought of him as a freak.

"Kelly? As in your _best friend_ Kelly? You think she's upset with you?" Michonne questioned.

"Best friend?" Daryl furrowed a brow.

"She was the one that got you to open up and you two always talk to each other - especially when you have a problem or need advice, plus the two of you know almost everything about each other. It's only obvious this makes her your best friend… don't boys know anything about friendship?" Lori sighed.

 _Well great, I could have jus' pissed off my first ever best friend - am I really callin' her my best friend now?_ Daryl rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. _Wait…_

When Daryl looked back up he was glad to see he wasn't the only one giving Lori questioning looks.

"How d'ya even know all that?" He asked the cheerleader.

"It's called being observant, you know being aware of your surroundings." Lori responded.

Glenn tilted his head as he looked at Lori, "But…. If you're that observant… why do you still get lost going anywhere in camp?" Glenn questioned.

Lori looked over at the younger boy and narrowed her eyes, Glenn immediately raised his hands in a placating gesture. The brunette just shook her head and sighed, "Obviously in the beginning I didn't care to remember, I didn't exactly want to be here… and then all that other stuff happened and I got caught up in all of that… but then everything was good again and I was starting to really take in my surroundings except that's when my love radar went off like crazy and it's been throwing everything off!" Lori exclaimed with an exclamation as she looked upwards, missing the looks exchanged between Rick and Michonne, Carol and Daryl, and even Maggie and Glenn.

"I've never had this happen to me before! I mean I know it's close I can feel it! Obviously it's not Glenn and Maggie, I'm glad they're back together but the radar is still crazy off, are you sure y'all haven't noticed anything between anybody?" Lori questioned as she looked around at her group members, going from one face to another.

She abruptly stopped on the youngest face when little Beth, who had been eating quietly beside Maggie, chimed in, "What does she mean _back together_ , Maggie? Did you and Glenn really break up? Maggie, Glenn is really funny and nice and I'm sure Daddy will like him too and-"

"Beth!" Maggie quickly interrupted when she noticed Glenn paling at the mention of their father, "Beth, Glenn and I are together… again." Maggie assured her even as she felt her cheeks heating up. Her baby sister honestly had no filter.

As if to prove her right, little Beth continued, "Good 'cause I want to be the flower girl-"

"Okay, not that this isn't interesting but how am I supposed to fix this? Between me an' Kelly?" Daryl cut the little girl off - as much as he would have normally enjoyed the rapidly changing colors on Glenn's face - he was still worried about what Kelly must think of him. Plus, not that he would ever admit to this but, he was kinda worried about what Maggie would do to them if nobody intervened.

"Talkin' is good." Beth spoke up eager to help one of the cool older kids that she sat with.

"Beth is right, Daryl. Just talk to her when she gets here." Maggie offered, sending a grateful smile towards the usually gruff boy for distracting her younger sister.

"Best friends always forgive each other." Beth assured with a smile and a nod.

Daryl nodded too. _I'm taking advice from a six year old now. Perfect._ "Lets just say that she doesn't want to talk. What then?"

"You ask too many questions." Carol began to smile. "This is Kelly we're talking about. She can't be upset forever." She assured.

Daryl felt a little better. "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Glad you agree because here they come." Glenn nodded to the three members of their team who made their way to the table.

"Hey guys! How was work?" Michonne smiled as the three teens began taking their seats.

"Rather not talk about it." Tara slumped over the table.

"Shane, do you have to take all the space? There's no room for me to sit." Kelly, who was left standing with her tray in hand, pointed out.

"You can sit on my lap." Shane patted his leg.

"I'd rather eat lunch with Ed than sit on your lap." Kelly retaliated in a very serious tone. Hanging out with Tara really helped her improve her comebacks.

"There's room right here." Daryl quickly offered as he scooted over forcing Maggie to put her little sister on her lap. He was not about to lose his best friend to Ed, that was for sure.

Kelly only raised her brows as she took a seat beside Daryl. "Thanks." She said with a weak smile- a bit unsure why the other members of her team were watching her every move.

Daryl cleared his throat. What was he supposed to do now? He looked up at Rick and gave him a questioning look. When Rick shrugged Daryl rolled his eyes and turned towards Kelly.

"Is everything okay with us?" He bluntly asked.

Kelly looked a bit caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking 'bout yesterday. How you were avoiding me." He stated, not realizing how aggressive he sounded.

"Daryl-" Kelly started but immediately stopped when she noticed that everyone at the table had their eyes on both her and Daryl, and as she gave them a look they all mumbled a sorry before looking down to the trays in front of them.

Kelly hesitated when she looked away from the others to focus back on the boy next to her. "Daryl," Again she started- this time in a much softer voice. "I wasn't trying to avoid you. I just wanted to give you your space since you seemed pretty angry out by the lake." She explained. "I was actually gonna try and talk to you later today." She shrugged.

"Talk about what?" Daryl lowered a brow.

She moved her breakfast around with her fork looking for the right way to say what was on her mind, that, and the silence coming from her teammates made her feel awkward. "Um… where to start?" She questioned herself, biting down on her lip.

"Start where you need to." Daryl assured.

Kelly nodded. "Okay. Remember when I told you I had been in foster care?" When Daryl nodded, she continued. "My dads didn't adopt me till I was nine years old. I've had a lot of foster homes, sometimes I'd be moved three or four times a month. The things I've seen others go through, the things I went through… it kinda haunts me." She admitted. "I knew kids with scars like you. I really tried to help them, but like I said, I was nine, they wouldn't listen to a kid like me. They told me that they'd rather be alone and that they knew they didn't matter." Kelly finally looked up at Daryl which only made the tears in her eyes sting more.

"Then what happened." Daryl asked. His voice was low and for once it was soothing.

"I'd give them their space, that's what I was doing with you. But, then... I realized that you're not one of those foster kids and I'm definitely not some helpless kid anymore. I'm your friend Daryl. You matter _a lot_ to me." Daryl smiled at that and before he could say anything he and Kelly both turned to the sound of sniffles only to discover Michonne and Carol trying to hold their tears as the rest of them tried shushing them.

Daryl turned back to Kelly with a shake on his head, keeping in mind that the next words he spoke needed to be said for only Kelly to hear. "You matter a lot to me too. You're… you're my best friend."

A loud burst of sobbing came from Lori as she quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry! Don't mind me…" The brunette wiped her eyes and looked to the others while Shane patted her back.

Lori's distraction gave Kelly enough time to quickly get her emotions under control as she wiped a few tears before Daryl looked back to her. "I'm glad I have a bad ass best friend."

"Me too." Daryl nodded. For some reason he wasn't feeling embarrassed that the others overheard what he said. "So… we're good?"

"Yeah." Kelly sighed feeling more relaxed. "I can't say the same for our team though." This time her whisper was only caught by Daryl as the two shared a laugh as they looked at their very emotional group.

Daryl noticed how everyone now focused their attention on Glenn who began to tell Beth a story, giving him the perfect opportunity to share something important with Kelly, the words of young Beth echoing in his head. _Best friends tell each other everything._ "Kelly, there's something you need to know."

Kelly nodded as she reached for her orange juice. "What is it?" She questioned lifting her cup to her mouth and began to drink from it.

"Carol and I are going out." He stated in a whisper.

Kelly's eyes went wide and all the orange juice that was once in her mouth flew across the table and was now dripping from Rick's face. "You and Carol are dating!" She squealed in excitement forgetting to whisper as she announced the news to her table mates- who all took their attention off of Rick and redirected their shock at Daryl.

"Really?!" Shane quickly asked in disbelief. _Maybe Daryl was a smooth talker after all._

"I knew it!" Lori pointed her finger from Daryl to Carol. "That must be why I've been feeling off lately!"

Carol just sat wide eyed looking at Daryl who gave her a shrug.

"That's crazy! First Michonne and Rick now Daryl and Carol!" Glenn said in shock.

"Glenn!" Maggie looked at her boyfriend with wide eyes and yanked his arm.

Rick froze staying hidden behind the small towel that he was using to clean his face- not daring to peek out. Shane was going to murder him, that was for sure.

"What do you mean Rick and Michonne?" Lori raised a questioning brow.

"Right? Since when did this happen?!" Tara cut in.

"Yeah… when _did_ this happen?" Shane spoke up, too in shock to think of anything else to say.

Michonne stared straight at a very scared Glenn. The questions everyone asked were directed to her since Rick was busy smothering himself with the hand towel. "A few days." She answered solemnly.

"Well thanks for telling me." Kelly said reaching out across from her and pulling the towel away from Rick's face. "Now I don't feel bad for spitting in your face." She shook her head then looked to Michonne. "At least Daryl put in an effort to tell me that he was dating Carol."

Daryl smirked at that but his smug expression changed when Michonne glared at him.

"Do one of you care to explain this to us?" Shane slowly questioned.

"No." Rick bluntly stated. "But I guess we have to." He sighed. "Shane, I was gonna tell you-"

"But you didn't. Why?" Shane cut him off. Tara furrowed a brow trying her best to hold in her laugh at how hurt Shane sounded. She didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"Because we weren't ready." Michonne answered. "And it's not Rick's fault, I'm the one who told him not to tell you. Don't be mad at him, be mad at me."

Shane just shook his head. "So that's it, huh? Everybody's got somebody?"

"Not everybody." Lori sighed.

"This just got depressing." Tara frowned.

"Guys, stop. I think it's nice that Rick and Michonne are together and that Glenn and Maggie are back together as well." Carol offered a smile to anyone who would take it.

"Says the girl dating Daryl." Lori pointed out.

"Just let us lonely people be lonely." Shane lowered his head.

"Pull yourself together Walsh." Kelly rolled her eyes. "It's truly embarrassing. Besides, we should celebrate these new relationships!"

"Great idea Kelly." Glenn cut in. He just wanted the bickering to stop, knowing full well that he was the one who caused all of this. "This could be a good thing!" He pressed.

"What could be a good thing?" Rosita came walking to her team.

"That Rick and Michonne are dating and so is Daryl and Carol… oh, and Glenn and Maggie are back together." Shane informed in a monotone voice, not bothering to pick his head off of the table.

Rosita lifted a brow at all of that information yet only one thought came to the forefront of her head. _My babies are dating each other?!_

 ** _Summer...Summer..Summer_**

Michonne felt sick to her stomach. As much as she didn't want to, she needed to speak with Lori. The games would be starting soon and Michonne decided it was best to have this conversation with Lori now and not when they were back at their cabin. _The more witnesses the better._

"Lori, can we talk?" Michonne asked in a low voice. When Lori nodded they both took a few steps away from their team. Michonne definitely did not want a repeat of what happened at breakfast.

"What is it?" Lori question.

"I just wanted to ask if you're alright." Michonne shrugged.

Lori wrinkled a brow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Good question." Michonne bit her lip. "I just want to know if you are okay with me and Rick."

"You think I would be mad about that?" Lori appeared shocked.

Now it was Michonne's turn to wrink a brow. "Well two weeks ago you hated my guts because of him."

"True." She nodded. "But I have realized how great of a person you are. You literally saved my life! I'm not going to lose you as a friend. Rick's nice and you two are cute together." She shrugged. "I'm just glad I have the both of you as my friends." Lori explained.

"Me too." Michonne smiled as she and Lori shared a hug.

"Come on girls!" Abraham called out. "We got asses to kick."

"Yes sir!" Lori called back using the same tone Abe had.

"What game is it?" Tara questioned, getting herself mentally prepared to beat the other team.

"Basketball." Abe announced.

The team prepared by doing a quick stretch and an exercise warm-up before they made their way towards the gym.

Seeing Ed's team only gave them more motivation.

"Okay guys I think we got this. You all are really good together when it comes to communication." Abraham stated.

"Are we? 'Cause I'd say the opposite." Shane muttered.

Abe furrowed a brow. "What? What are you talking about? Everything was fine the other day." When none of his kids answered him he turned to Rosita.

"From what I picked up, Rick and Michonne are together and Shane didn't know about it and I think he's mad."

"Yeah I'm mad! Me and Rick used to tell each other everything." He claimed.

"We still do man!" Rick walked closer to his best friend.

"Wait! Rick and Michonne are dating?!" Abraham smiled with a head nod.

"Why must you always miss the point?" Rosita sighed.

"Right, sorry." He cleared his throat. "How did you find out?" He questioned to Shane in a more serious manner.

"After finding out Daryl and Carol were together Glenn said-"

"Daryl and Carol too?!" Abe's eyes almost popped out. "Where was I?!"

"Abraham, _the point._ " Rosita chimed in again.

"Right, right! Okay listen your guys' friendship is important, but before all that your sportsmanship is the main thing I need you to focus on! Okay?" Abraham enthused.

"Whatever." Shane shrugged. "The game's gonna start soon. What are the positions?"

Abe sighed. He wished there was more he could do but Shane was right, the game would be starting soon. "In usual games there's five players from each team on the courts but in this game it will be ten against ten. Each position will have two people." He explained.

"Fine. I'll be shooting guard." Shane stated as he made his way toward the court.

"I'm gonna be shooting guard too." Rick stated following after Shane with a worried expression on his face.

Michonne shook her head as she watched Rick follow Shane like a lost puppy. Did she just ruin a friendship of 11 years?

"I'll be center!" Kelly announced as she ran out onto the court. She didn't know much about basketball so she was hoping that being center didn't require a lot of moving.

Once everyone was in their positions, the game began.

The referee threw the ball in the air as Ed jumped up and slapped it back to his team.

Pete caught the ball then made his way down the court dribbling the ball with his preferred hand and used the other to block his opponents.

Daryl looked at Carol, and it took that one look for her to understand what he was trying to communicate. With a nod Daryl passed Michonne and Maggie and now he was coming full force at Pete and tried snatching the ball from him. Just as Daryl had planned Pete stood his ground and moved the ball to his side looking for someone to pass the basketball to which gave Carol the chance to swoop in and take the ball from Pete's loose grip. Immediately Daryl ran passed Pete and blocked Carol as she made her way closer towards the other team's basket.

Daryl moved to the other side of the hoop when he noticed that Glenn was able to block their opponents from getting to Carol. Everyone watched anxiously as the ball left Carol's fingertips and flew towards the hoop. The basketball went around the rim once but it didn't go in. Instantly Daryl jumped up and caught the rebound before throwing it back up and getting it in the hoop putting 2 points on the scoreboard under his team's name.

"Woo!" Abe cheered from the sidelines. "What a power couple!" He shouted as Rosita clapped proudly.

The other team had the ball and was now coming towards them. Shane was doing his best to block Ed from going any further but Ed kept pushing through as he went to make a shot. Though Tara was not having any of that. She dodged Aiden and quickly slid passed both Alisha and Jessie jumping high in the air and hit the ball with her palm sending it in the other direction.

Shane caught the ball and as he turned he realized how surrounded he was with his opponents on all sides. Rick waved his hands in the air at Shane encouraging him to pass the ball to him but it was like Shane was ignoring him. Rick narrowed his eyes as he ran towards the large group around Shane.

"Right here, I'm open!" Rick held his arms out ready to catch the ball, but Shane shook his head.

"Naw, I got it!"

"No you don't, Shane! Pass the ball." Rick demanded.

"Why?! You don't trust me? You don't think that I can keep this ball safe?" Shane shot back as Rick lifted a brow at his friend's comment.

The referee blew the whistle. "Shot clock time out! Terminus' ball!"

Rick rubbed the back of his head as he went to his defensive position. "You'd rather get a penalty than pass the ball to me, really man?"

Shane just gave Rick a side eye look before focusing on the others. "Tara switch with me." He said as the girl shrugged and moved to stand next to Rick.

"That's all you know how to do, is leave your problems." Rick stated. "I was gonna tell you!"

Michonne huffed. She was sure that Shane just needed some time to adjust, but she had enough of it. She shook her head and focused on the ball that was coming to her after it slipped out of Andrea's hand. Quickly she snatched it dribbled the ball until she noticed that Lori was open then she passed the ball to her. Michonne cringed, rethinking the choice she had made but Lori did something that shocked everyone in the gym.

The brunette did a somersault with one hand and had her other arm wrapped around the ball. She then dribbled the ball passed a very confused Ed and shot the ball directly in the hoop hitting nothing but net.

"Ohmygod! Yes!" Tara cheered giving her teammate a high five.

"Wait! Is that even legal?!" Dawn demanded to know.

The ref shrugged. "The ball didn't slip from her grip and she didn't double dribble. I say it counts."

"That's my girl!" Rosita shouted with excitement.

Abe had to take a seat. What he had just witnessed was mind blowing. He truly was so proud that tears came close to falling.

"Come on guys, the game's just getting started." Lori shrugged trying her best to stay humble but the look on Jessie's face was priceless.

By the time it came to fourth quarter the score was 44 to 39 and the Walking Dead team was up by five points. There was 10 seconds left in the game and for basketball, a lot could happen in ten seconds.

"Here Rick, take the ball!" Shane was about to pass it but Rick shook his head.

"No man, I trust you! You've never let me down and I was wrong for ever doubting you! You get the last basket!"

"You got the better shot!" Shane insisted as he managed to keep Aiden, Enid, and Gabriel off of him.

"Shane, I know you can do this! Times gonna run out and you're gonna wish you had done something before it was too late!"

"Weren't not talking about basketball anymore, are we?" When Rick shook his head Shane sighed with a nod. He turned slightly and raised his hands that held the ball launching it up at the basket making the final points.

The two boys ignored the buzzing scoreboard and the cheers from their team and leaders as they walked toward one another.

"Listen, I'm not that mad. I just thought when you'd have your first girlfriend I'd be there with you every step of the way."

"And you're gonna- first girlfriend? Shane, Michonne is not my first girlfriend."

"Don't tell me you're talkin' about Olivia. Elementary doesn't count man, plus you barely lasted a week with Liv." Shane patted his best friend's back.

"True." Rick nodded.

"Anything I say is true." Shane smirked leaving Rick to shake his head. "Now let's go celebrate with our team."

Rosita smiled at how her team all walked out of the gym looking so happy. She decided to stay back and put away all the equipment that both teams had used for the game.

"Let me give you a hand!" Abraham ran over and pulled the big duffle bag over his shoulder and walked with Rosita to the equipment room.

"Thanks Abe. It's always nice to have a big strong man like you around." She smiled.

"Ha, yeah, anytime." He assured as he set the bag down in it's rightful spot then faced Rosita. "So, I've been thinking."

"Yeah? About what?" She questioned.

"We've been friends for a really long time…" He shrugged.

"Yeah, we have." Rosita nodded a bit hesitant.

"So go out with me." Abraham raised a brow in question.

"What?!" Rosita asked not able to hide the smile on her lips.

"Go on a date with me." He said more clearly.

"Really?" She asked again still unsure.

"Yeah." He nodded with a smile of his own.

"Where would this date be?" She again questioned, choosing not to believe anything the man was saying to her.

"I don't know… I'll plan it and it'll be a surprise for you. Only if you say yes though."

"Okay, yes! I'll go on a date with you." She took a deep breath in. "When?"

"Tonight. I'll come by your cabin to get you." He assured.

"Okay. It's a date then!" She said excitedly.

 ** _Summer...Summer...Summer_**

"Hey, you guys got a minute?" Abraham came up to his group. His palms were sweaty and for the life of him, he couldn't slow his rapidly beating heart.

"Sure." Maggie turned her attention to her leader.

"Can we spend that minute discussing how pink your skin is right now?" Tara playfully asked- surprised that Abraham didn't even smirk in the slightest at her joke.

"Earlier I asked Rosita to go on a date with me." Their leader announced.

The girls squealed.

"Really?!" Carol said in shock. "Where are you taking her?"

Abraham cringed. "I don't know… that's why I'm here."

"Am I hearing this correctly?" Shane chimed in. "You, Abraham Ford, are coming to me, Shane Walsh, for help on a date."

"No, I'm comin' to everyone but you." Abe stated, sharing a laugh with Daryl.

"We'd be better off without Baldie Locks." Tara added.

"And to think I was gonna offer my ideas to you people. That's alright 'cause I'll be the one havin' the last laugh when everything you plan fails." Shane turned but before he could walk away Kelly cleared her throat.

"I don't know guys, Shane seems to be very experienced in this subject."

"I bet Shane doesn't even have any ideas." Daryl stated.

"Please, I have plenty." Shane testified with confidence. "You say you don't need me but your faces say other wise. But I guess it's really none of my business though-"

"Fine!" Abraham huffed.

"Fine what?" Shane raised a challenging brow. He knew he was testing his limits but they did doubt him and _nobody_ doubts Shane Walsh.

Abraham narrowed his eyes. "I don't got a clue on how to plan a date, so if you helped it would be greatly appreciated."

"What?!" Lori's eyes popped in shock. "You all have me- and really, that is all you need to plan a date."

"What did you have in mind?" Glenn questioned.

"Well, Abe could take the simple obvious option and just take Rosita to a nice restaurant." She shrugged.

"That's boring." Shane dead panned. "I was thinking more of a candle lit dinner under the stars." He offered.

"Oh! Glenn knows a place that is surrounded by flowers and it's the prettiest sight! We could set up a small table and two chairs." Maggie added.

"Sounds great." Shane nodded. "I'll cook the dinner." He said showing a little too much excitement. "Y'know, like, if you want me to." He played it off with a nonchalant shrug.

So it was set. The date would happen under the starry summer night with candles lit along the path and round the table where Abraham and Rosita would eat a meal cooked by none other than Shane.

Everyone split up. Rick went to help Abraham get an outfit, Shane went to the kitchen to start cooking the food, Daryl and Glenn went to get the table and chairs, and the rest went to get the candles and other little things that would help set the mood.

An hour had passed since the group broke apart and now they were all meeting in the garden of flowers that Glenn had found.

"Ouch!" Kelly held tight to her hand. "I just burned myself." She pouted.

"Mmm, maybe Kelly should get away from the matches." Michonne stated throwing a white table-cloth over the small round table Daryl managed to find.

"Yeah." Carol nodded as she snatched the box of matches from her teammate.

"Here's the centerpiece for the table!" Lori came running back after finding a vase in which she had nicely arranged white and red roses for display.

"Nice." Shane nodded as Kelly watched him place the plates down and very precisely placed the utensils beside them.

"Where's Abe?" Tara moaned as she sat back on one of the chairs.

"Getting Rosita, now get up!" Maggie pulled Tara off the chair.

"Well, we missed dinner because of all this setting up!" Tara complained.

"Please, you barely helped." Michonne smirked.

"So? I still missed a meal." Tara sighed.

"If you guys quit bickering I'll take you all back up to the cafeteria and cook some dinner." Shane assured.

"But they lock the kitchen." Glenn stated.

"But I got the key." Shane reached into his pant pocket and dangled the keys around in his hand.

Maggie nodded. "Sounds like a-"

"Shush!" Daryl put a finger to his lips. "Ya hear that?"

"They're coming!" Carol's eyes widened. "Act natural!" She stated.

Tara looked around before giving up on finding a good way to 'look natural'. "Do we hide?" She whispered to Glenn who was also just standing out in the open.

"Dunno." He shrugged before his jaw dropped at the sight of Rosita.

The team's leader- who usually wore loose tank-tops, cargo shorts, and hiking boots, with her hair tied back in a ponytail- was now in a form-fitting summer dress with matching black heels and her wavy brown hair was down.

"Surprise!" Lori shouted throwing her arms up. Her team members weren't helping anything with the dumbstruck stares they were giving their female leader.

"Wow." Rosita looked to all the lit candles leading to the table. "You guys did this all for us?" Rosita looked at her kids with a big smile- happy tears threatening to fall.

Abraham kept his arm around her. He was surprised that his team actually pulled this all together. He guessed Shane did deserve some credit after all. "Y'know this was actually all-"

"Abraham's idea." Shane cut him off. "We jus' all wanted ta put in a hand and help." He assured.

"Really?" Rosita looked up to the handsomely dressed ginger. "That's sweet." She said causing the man to turn an even brighter red.

"Well, that's Abraham for ya." Tara spoke up. "We'll be getting out of the way so you can enjoy your dinner together." She stated, just wanting to get some food in her belly.

"Yeah, you two enjoy yourselves." Rick added.

"You kids have fun!" Glenn said over his shoulder as he walked to the trail leading back to the cafeteria.

"Curfew is no later than ten, if you keep her past that I will hunt you down myself Abraham." Carol threatened.

"She's only kidding." Daryl assured after seeing the color drain from Abe's face. Unfortunately Daryl knew his girlfriend was dead serious. "Safer ta have her back _before_ ten." Daryl whispered as he passed Abraham as the man nodded in fear.

"See you later!" Maggie winked to Rosita causing the woman to chuckle.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Tara warned.

"What _wouldn't_ you do?" Kelly questioned her spontaneous teammate.

"Fine don't do what I _would_ do." Tara sighed.

As the kids began to leave Abraham found himself getting nervous, romance wasn't his thing. _Just survive this night. Just survive somehow._

 ** _Summer...Summer...Summer_**

"You guys are actually leaving?" Shane asking in a hushed voice almost appalled at his team mates.

"Umm, that's the idea." Tara nodded.

"Quick get low! They're gonna see us!" Shane demanded instantly as everyone fell to their knees. "This bush righ' here is big enough for all of us."

"You want us to spy on our leaders?!" Maggie questioned even as she was moving closer to the bush and looked through it seeing how perfect her view was of the two, then noticed how clear she would be able to hear them.

Michonne raised a brow at the younger girl as she turned to her. "Didn't seem to have a problem with that when you and Glenn were sneaking up on Rick and me earlier today." She said as Maggie blushed lightly and mumbled something about it being Glenn's idea… sort of…

"Why didn't I think of this!?" Tara chuckled as she moved to peek through the bush.

"This is wrong you guys." Rick hesitated. "We should go."

"I'm with you." Daryl kept his voice low. "Let's just go."

"Me too." Lori huffed.

"I don't want to hear anything I can't unhear." Glenn agreed.

"Stop being babies." Kelly said over her shoulder before turning back to look at the two leaders. "Aww, he pulled out her chair!" She squealed in a low whisper. "Who knew he had table manners." She noted.

For some reason Lori felt compelled to look, so she did. "Ugh, what a sweetheart!" She cooed.

"Guys this should be a private moment between _only_ them two." Rick copped in again.

"I wish I could take your side on this Rick but I can't move my eyes." Michonne stated. She didn't even bother looking at her boyfriend as she spoke.

Abraham took a seat across from Rosita. She was absolutely stunning. "You look beautiful, like always."

"You clean up pretty good yourself." She smiled. "This all looks so great! I still can't believe our kids helped put this together." Rosita looked around once more at the beautiful candle-lit dinner.

Shane nodded. "No thanks to Tara." He whispered.

Tara narrowed her eyes at the boy next to her and elbowed him in the side as he lost his balance and fell on Michonne.

"You're crushing me!" Michonne shuttered a yelp.

Instantly Daryl leaped over and covered Michonne's mouth with a hand. "If we're gonna be here, let's not draw attention to ourselves." He stated, pointing his gaze toward Tara- all while Rick pulled Shane off of Michonne.

"Did you hear something?" Rosita questioned looking up from her plate in alarm.

"Hmm, it was probably nothing." Abraham assured with a shrug.

"Abe," Rosita stared at the man in front of her a moment longer before continuing. "I don't think you know how long I waited for you to ask me out." She stated.

Abraham swallowed hard. "Really? I didn't know-"

"I know." She cut him off. "I never made it clear. I'm just glad that I'm finally here with you tonight."

"Why me?" Abraham felt the need to ask. She was ten times out of his league that's why he had been so content on being friends.

She shrugged. "Because you didn't hit on me the first time we met."

"I could barely say hi to you" He stated, causing her to giggle. "It's really true." He chuckled himself.

"Spare me." Tara rolled her eyes. "When are we gonna get to the good stuff?"

"Patience." Kelly persisted.

Rosita raised a brow and slightly turned her head. She was certain she was hearing voices. She shrugged it off, nothing was going to ruin this night including her own assumptions.

"You alright?" Abraham questioned.

"Yeah I'm fine. Better than that actually. So I have to ask, why did you finally decide to ask me out?"

"What do you mean?" Abe asked as he tilted his head.

"I mean that we've been friends for over five years now, I've met all of your family, you've met most of my family - the ones living in the states anyways, we're team leaders together during the summer and we hang out and do stuff together during the rest of the year. What made you want to risk all of that? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you asked me out but I'm curious as well."

"Hmm, well, that is a very good question." Abraham replied rubbing the back of his neck.

"Five years?" Shane questioned in disbelief to the others. "He's known her for five years and never once made a move? Why would he even wait that long? Five years is like an eternity. No wonder he came to us."

Kelly turned to look at Shane with a raised brow. "So you're saying that you wouldn't wait that long for anybody?" She asked pointedly.

Shane gulped at the look, glare really, that Kelly was giving him and rushed to respond. "You know what? Five years is really not that long."

"Mhmm…" Was Kelly's only reply before she turned back toward the two team leaders.

Tara snickered from Shane's other side.

"And what are you laughing at?" Shane grumbled quietly.

"I'm just glad that I'm gay. I, at least, understand girls." Tara said smugly.

Carol shook her head from her place a couple spaces down. "You do realize," she whispered, "that any person you're dating, regardless of who they are, you're going to have to work hard if you want a good relationship with them. It's not just romance. My parents were just like Rosita and Abraham - friends for years before they started dating. There's gotta be a foundation of friendship in any relationship." Carol finished with conviction.

Daryl was silent as he took note of and committed Carol's words to memory. "I agree." He found himself saying before he took Carol's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Carol turned towards her boyfriend and smiled softly at him, her blue eyes locking onto his instantly. She moved forward slowly and pressed a light kiss to Daryl's lips before moving back, still keeping his hand entwined with her own.

"Carol's right you know." Lori said quietly from in between Tara and Carol, still focused on trying to see Abraham and Rosita as they had been talking too low for her to hear - she wasn't sure if she should feel thankful for that or not.

Tara groaned into her hand. "I really gotta get a move on with Alisha." Tara muttered as Shane snickered at her.

"Oh don't worry about that." Lori assured while shushing Shane. "Plans have already been put into motion."

"Wait, what?" Tara asked the older girl who didn't bother to respond except to throw Tara a knowing smile before, again, trying to focus on the two adults who lead their team.

"Vocabulary Tara." Kelly scolded with a half-smile while straining her ears. Rosita and Abraham had been talking and giggling but none of the words were decipherable despite the distance not being that far away.

"So I was thinking…." Abraham started.

"Yeah?" Rosita asked with a hint of something in her voice that the teens couldn't quite identify.

"If we get done with dinner early enough, maybe we could head on over to the lake." The red-headed man smirked.

"And what would you have us do there?" Rosita questioned coyly. "I don't exactly have a swimsuit on underneath this dress."

"Well I wouldn't exactly mind…" Abraham trailed off suggestively.

"Abraham!" Rosita scolded slightly with a flirtatious grin as she leaned closer towards him.

"Oh God." Glenn muttered, his face green with nausea. "I knew I would hear something I would never be able to unhear." Maggie gently patted his back as she too looked sick at the exchange between the two adults.

"Who even says stuff like… like that!" Kelly whisper-yelled with a look of disgust on her face as Tara and Carol shook their heads.

"They wouldn't." Shane said affirmatively.

"They wouldn't?" Rick questioned.

"They know we're here." Shane said to the group.

"They do?" Glenn asked still looking green.

"Okay!" Shane called out loud enough for Abraham and Rosita to hear. "Okay, we're leaving for real this time!"

"See you guys back at the cabins around ten!" Abraham called back cheerfully while Rosita laughed.

The Walking Dead team quickly got up and finally started making their way back to the campgrounds.

"Can we finally get dinner now?" Tara asked as her stomach gurgled loudly much to the amusement of her teammates as they all chuckled.

Abraham and Rosita chuckled as they faintly heard Tara's last comment about dinner.

"We sure showed them, didn't we?" Abraham laughed with a wide smile on his face.

"That we did." Rosita said, her eyes shining bright with happiness.

 ** _Summer...Summer...Summer_**

The next morning was off to a horrible start. Rosita's heart was heavy as she found herself standing in front of her team. They're faces filled with confusion.

"Rosita... Rosita!" Lori snapped her fingers in front of her leaders face pulling Rosita out of whatever trance she was in. "You've been standing here for a few minutes now. Are you gonna tell us what's wrong?"

Rosita swallowed hard. "It's nothing." She assured- trying her best to hide her emotions. "Kelly, Mr. Phil and Mrs. Deanna want to see you in their office." She stated anxiously.

"Why?" The group asked in unison.

Rosita shrugged acting as if she didn't already know. "Maybe they want to talk to you about your work in the kitchen."

"Hmm, maybe. I haven't done anything bad recently." Kelly stated as she stood from the blanket that she and her team were eating lunch on. "I'll be back." She told them over her shoulder before walking side by side with Rosita.

The closer they got to the office the more worried Kelly became. Her leader had been unusually quiet the whole time, until the building came into sight and that's when she heard a few sniffles from Rosita.

 _What is wrong? Why is she acting so strange?_ Kelly asked herself.

Rosita pulled open the office door and allowed Kelly to walk in first.

As Kelly walked in the room she was taken back by how sad the expression on Abraham's face was. Even Deanna and Phil looked saddened, but there was another man in the room, a man that she was very familiar with.

Kelly's face dropped. "Dad?!"

* * *

 _ **Oh snap!**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	16. Chapter 15: Don't You Forget About Me

**_Finally on summer break so I'll be focusing on my story for you all. I really did miss writing and I'm glad I can focus more on it now that I have the time. Hope you enjoy. A little heads up, Kelly's a bit bipolar in this! Haha..._**

 ** _Maggie Greene Rhee_** ** _: Tara, Glenn and Maggie are 14. Carol, Shane, Kelly, Rick, Michonne, Lori and Daryl are around 15 and 15 and a half. Rosita is 24 and Abraham is 25._**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Don't You Forget About Me**

Kelly's face dropped. "Dad?!" The young teen asked in equal parts confusion and excitement.

A warm smile came across the man's face at the sight of his daughter. "Hey gorgeous!" He opened his arms wide and pulled the girl into a tight embrace. "I've missed you!"

She wrapped her arms around the thin man just as tight. "I missed you, too!" Kelly smiled, tucking her head into her dad's neck. The smell of his cologne gave her a warm familiar feeling in her heart that she always got when she was with either of her dads. Trying not to cry, Kelly pulled way. "You're growing a beard?!"

"Yeah, your dad thought it would be nice." The man in front of Kelly shrugged while running a hand over his facial hair.

Mr. Phil cleared his throat. "Mr. Bolden-"

"Oh, please! Call me Aaron." The man insisted.

Mr. Phil nodded. "Aaron, maybe it's best you tell your daughter why you're here."

Aaron nodded and Kelly didn't like the look on her father's face. "Dad what is it? And where is other dad?"

"Kelly, I'm here to take you home!" Aaron smiled, expecting his daughter to jump in joy at this news.

"What?!" Kelly's immediate devastation shocked Aaron. "Why?! For what?!"

Aaron furrowed a brow. "Wait, Kelly, I-I thought you'd be happy."

"Why would you think that?" Kelly questioned, her eyebrows scrunched.

"Because when your dad and I dropped you off you said to pick you up if we finish early on our business trip." The man quoted his daughter's almost exact words.

Kelly cringed as she remembered the same conversation. "Yeah, but remember when you said I might actually like this place? Well I do-and I like it _a lot._ " Kelly explained. "Dad I can't leave my friends, we're a team! If I do then we'd have to forfeit the games." Kelly stated ignoring the nods from Mr. Phil and Abraham.

Aaron's eyes widened. "Wait, Kelly… did you just say you have friends? Actual, living, breathing, human friends?!" He leaned closer to his girl, interested to hear more.

"Yeah! Imagine that!" Kelly nodded, sharing a smile with her dad.

"That's so great Kelly! I'm really happy that you have friends." Again Aaron pulled his daughter in for a quick embrace.

"Yeah, it was kinda easier than I thought… they didn't really have a choice." Kelly smiled at that as she got side tracked. "But do you see why I need to stay?"

"Kelly, I'm sorry honey but you need to come back with me-"

"If you were really going to pick me up where is other dad? Wouldn't he want to be here too?" Kelly interrupted as she raised a challenging brow.

Aaron glanced to the other adults in the room before resting a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Kelly, your dad- he couldn't make it."

Kelly looked over to her two leaders but it seemed they were avoiding eye contact with her. She looked back to her dad. "What do you mean he couldn't make it?"

Aaron sighed and took a seat. "Kelly, he broke his ankle. He was walking down a flight of stairs- you know how clumsy he is." Aaron shrugged with a shake of his head. "But you should have seen it, he almost took me down with him! I had to James Bond out of the way."

"Ohmygod." Kelly gasped and took a seat beside her father.

"Yeah, but don't worry honey, he's fine. I'm just surprised that that was all he broke." Again Aaron shrugged.

Kelly smiled imagining the scene it must have been before realizing what was going to happen. "So, we're really going then?"

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Why are you pacing?" Michonne finally asked after watching Shane go back and forth for the past three minutes in front of the large picnic blanket where the rest of the team sat eating lunch.

"Dunno." The boy didn't bother to stop as he spoke. "Trynna figure out somethin'... I guess."

"What's to figure out?" Carol asked as she sat up from leaning against Daryl.

Shane stopped and looked at his team that was now focused on him. "Honestly? Did nun of you pay attention to Rosita?"

"Why? Did we miss something?" Glenn, the most observant of the group, asked.

Shane quickly glanced around before kneeling down to whisper, "I think she was covering up for somethin'."

Lori furrowed a brow. "What would make you think that?"

"'Cause the woman's a horrible liar." Shane bluntly stated. "The way she was acting was all… strange."

"She _was_ acting kinda different." Maggie agreed.

"I don't see why she would lie to us - _if_ she lied." Tara, who had been the only one still eating up till this point, spoke with a mouthful of her sandwich.

"Maybe it's nothin'. I just don't get why Rosita only asked for Kelly when me and Tara work in the kitchen too." Shane stood there and watched as the looks on his teammates' faces changed as they realized he had a point.

"Okay, so she lied. Why?" Michonne now questioned.

"Dunno." Shane shrugged. "S'what I been tryna figure out."

"Well let's not accuse anybody." Rick finally spoke. Maybe this wasn't that big a deal but it did get him questioning his leader. "How about we see for ourselves… Rosita said they were heading to Deanna and Phil's office, right?"

"We're not sure if there even is somethin' going on. Can't jus' have us marching down to their office." Daryl argued. "Rosita lied to us, so what?" The boy shrugged. "Nothing we could do 'bout it. Kelly'll tell us what we wanna know when she gets back." He said at last.

Shane looked long and hard at his group before shrugging. "Fine. I'll go on my own... I'll let ya'll know what I find out." Shane turned but before he could walk away Glenn called for him. "Nothin' you, or any of you, can say that'll make me wait here."

"I was just going to ask if you knew the way." Glenn said carefully.

Shane cocked a brow. "No." He said painfully.

"Great! I'll come with." Glenn assured waving to the rest of the team as he walked toward Shane.

"If you're goin' I'm goin'." Maggie stated and moved to stand next to Glenn.

"Well if you're planning to sneak around, you'll need me." Carol sighed as if she had no other choice.

Michonne pursed her lips. "From the looks of it, we're all going."

"Yeah, not me." Daryl got to his feet. "I promised Sophia I'd see her today."

"You're ditching us for some tea party?!" Tara huffed. "At least tell Lizzie I said hi."

"Fine." Daryl huffed trying to act as if her 'tea party' comment hadn't affected him. "Any other messages you want me to pass on?" The boy sarcastically asked.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, tell Jud-"

"No." Shane interrupted. "Now come on, we've wasted enough time!" He pressed and with that the team went their separate ways.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Okay, looks like they're still inside." Carol kept low as she made her way toward her group, they'd been quietly waiting for her on the side of the building while she went to get a better look into the room. "I couldn't hear a thing, the windows are all shut closed."

Rick sensed something off about Carol. "What was it that you saw? Carol?"

The girl shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know who else-"

"Who's the guy holding Kelly's hand?" As one, the team turned and saw Tara peering through one of the small windows into the office.

"Tara! Get down!" Michonne quickly moved and tugged her friend out of the window's view. "We can't be seen!" She explained more calmly.

"Wait, there was a guy? Carol, did you see a him too?" Maggie turned to face the auburn haired girl.

"Yes, but-"

"Wait what guy?" Shane questioned. "You said he was holding her hand?! I gotta see."

Before Shane could move toward the window, Rick restrained him. "No. No more looking in. Glenn, what do you know about air vents?"

"Other than air passes through it, not much. Why?" Glenn lowered a brow.

Rick gave him a look. "Can a person pass through it?"

"Well if the person is small enough then maybe it's possible - depending on the size of the vent, of course. And that's only if the rotary fan isn't in the path of where one needs to go, otherwise they'd be cut into tiny pieces, and trust me! It wouldn't be a pretty sight. But then again-"

"So it's possible?" Rick cut back in.

"With some risks, yes, it's possible." Glenn shared an unsure glance with Maggie.

"Why you asking?" Shane wanted to know what his best friend was up to.

"'Cause there's an air duct right over there." Rick pointed to the metal rectangular opening that was one foot high on the side of the building's wall. "If it's safe, it's worth a try." He shrugged.

"So what? We climb in and shout surprise?" Michonne questioned with obvious sarcasm.

"We're jus' gonna listen in, that's all." Rick assured.

"Yeah, doesn't look like they're getting out of that meeting anytime soon anyways." Tara voiced.

"Why do you say that?" Maggie asked, turning toward the other girl.

"Cause good ol' Mr. Phil just handed the dude a bunch of papers." Tara elaborated as Glenn pulled her away from the window frame for the second time.

Michonne shook her head. "Back to the vent thing. We really can't just wait for Kelly to come out?"

Shane shook his head. "That's boring. Besides, I'm the one wanting to hear what's goin' on, so I should be the one to go in." Shane dropped to his knees. "Pop that thing open an' let me in." He said as he rubbed his hands together.

"No wait! You can't go in Shane." Rick put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Glenn said we needed someone small."

"Yeah. If you went, you'd probably break the vent, then it's kitchen duty for all of us." Glenn stated. "We need the smallest person we got, someone who won't make too much noise." The moment Glenn said those words everyone turned in unison to the brunette leaning against the wall

"Oh no." Lori shook her head. "No way am I gettin' in that thing." She shook her head with emphasis as she refused.

"We really hate ta ask." Shane cringed.

"Yeah? Well the answer is no. You heard Glenn, he said it could be dangerous!" Again the girl was defiant.

"Oh come on! Dangerous or not, I'm sure Kelly would do it for you." Tara pleaded.

Lori let that thought settle for a moment then noticed her team as they stared at her with pleading eyes. "Like I said, this is dangerous." She shook her head. "Just let it be known that I was against this from the very beginning." Her voice was as dangerous as the plan. "But if this helps Kelly - in any way - I'll do it."

Glenn nodded and went to carefully slip off the cover to the vent. He took a quick look inside and noticed the opening on the inside of the room was only a few feet. "Perfect, you won't have to go that far in and we'll be able to pull you out if there is any complications." He assured as Lori nodded to his words. "Climb in, stay quiet, and let us know what they're saying. You think you can handle it?"

"Yeah." Lori gave him a weary smile. "Here goes nothing." She got down on her hands and knees then moved herself into the metal tunnel. For a moment it was all pitch black before she realized her eyes were shut tight. Mentally she gave herself a face palm and continued to shimmy down the tight crawl space.

The rest of the team stood exchanging worried glances with one another as they waited the longest few seconds of their life. Everything was silent before a loud thump from inside the vent had Rick falling on his knees. "Lori?! What happened?!" Rick's voice was low and harsh as he called out to her. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah- but not the spider I just killed." Lori whispered back as she grimaced at the smashed spider on her palm before she rubbed it off on her shirt.

Rick sighed in relief and relaxed against the wall as he held a hand to his chest.

By now Lori had reached the other opening of the vent and for a moment in time she debated on taking off her shirt and cleaning the dusty opening before she got any closer but she decided to use her hand to clean off the cobwebs instead. "Gosh, don't they clean these things?" She whispered to herself. "Okay…" Lori raised her voice hoping she was quiet enough to not be heard by the people on the inside but loud enough to be heard by her team on the outside. "I can see them."

Glenn looked up at the others with a nod. "Okay, she's in place."

Carol bent down to the vent right beside Glenn. "Great Lori! Can you hear anything?"

"It's kinda hard to. They're on the other side of the room." The girl explained with the same strained whisper.

"Jus' let us know what you're able to hear." Shane called through the vent.

Lori hummed and waited till she had enough information to report back to her group. Things were becoming more clear to her as she focused on the voices in the room. "Ohhh, strange guy is Kelly's dad." Lori looked over her shoulder and was able to see Glenn kneeled beside the opening as he repeated her words to the rest of the group.

"What's he doing here?" Michonne thought aloud.

"Ohmygod." Lori's eyes widened. "Other dad died!" She gasped in devastation before she heard Kelly's dad talk about a leg cast. "Wait, no, other dad just broke his foot!" Lori continued to analyze making her team go through a wave of emotions. She was getting a little mixed up since she hadn't heard the beginning of the conversation. "Yeah, my bad, he just broke his ankle." Lori cringed then continued to peer through the slits of the vent and focused more on the voices.

Glenn looked back in the vent to check on Lori after she'd been silent for some time. "You good? What else is happening in there?"

Lori's thoughts scattered at the sound of Glenn's voice. She now had the knowledge of what type of papers Kelly's dad was signing and she had no idea how to tell the others. "Well, uh.. I-I think Kelly's going home." Lori's voice was a breathy whisper - much lower than the time before, hoping Glenn wouldn't catch on to her words but he did.

Glenn slowly looked up to his group. "O-kay." He said uncomfortably.

"What is it?" Maggie furrowed a brow and rested a gentle hand on her troubled boyfriend's shoulder.

"Well this isn't going to be easy to say." Glenn stood up.

"You're making it sound like someone actually did die." Tara laughed at the seriousness only because it made her feel uncomfortable.

Shane smirked but noticed the unsettled look on Glenn's face. Shane shook his head as it dawned on him - this could possibly be worse than death to him at this point. "Aww man, don't go an' tell me that Kelly's leavin' camp."

"Lori was clear as day." Glenn said shyly.

Shane huffed. "That can't be right." The boy looked to the ground shaking his head.

"But what do you mean she's goin' home? Summer's not over yet!" Maggie stomped her foot the same way her six year-old sister would.

"Guys, we still have to stay quiet." Carol spoke up. "Plus, we're not sure this is a for-sure thing. Maybe they just mentioned something along those lines." Carol knew it was a bit of a stretch but it brought her some comfort.

"Exactly, obviously Lori misunderstood." Michonne's smile had denial written all over it as she knelt down beside the vent. "Right Lori?"

"Nope, they're leaving in an hour." Lori answered back feeling more unsafe inside the vent as time progressed.

"Oh." Michonne suddenly looked as if she had eaten a lemon.

"We have to stop him." Shane spoke up again.

"We've done risky things, but this is too far." Glenn sighed. "I mean, how are we supposed to stop Kelly's _dad_ from taking her home?"

"Well I'm acceptin' ideas." Shane looked around at his teammates.

"The point is, is that we can't." Carol hated to be the one to say it but someone needed to be realistic. "Glenn's right, we can't stop the guy from taking home his daughter."

"What if she doesn't want to go? That's not fair." Tara pointed out.

"It still wouldn't matter." Michonne said. "I don't want to see her go as much as you guys but we can't keep on asking ourselves _what if_ because _what if_ she _wants_ to go?"

"No, no way she wants ta go. I won't believe it." Shane argued.

"Same here." Tara nodded.

"There's no point in arguing." Maggie cut in. "The decision is already made."

"Well let's unmake it." Glenn spoke up - immediately regretting his statement as he remembered the last time he disagreed with Maggie.

"Yeah? How do we do that?" Rick was honestly hoping that Glenn had a master plan prepared.

"We _can't_." Michonne voiced in again with a reasonable tone.

"Jus' cause Daryl's not here, don't mean you gotta have his attitude." Shane huffed ignoring the look Rick shot him.

"If you feel that way? Then I'll leave." Michonne shook her head and turned. "I didn't want to come anyways, I was dragged into this." She said over her shoulder.

"Really Shane?" Carol tilted her head. "Not cool."

"Hey guys…" An echoed voice called out. "Being in here just reminded me that I'm claustrophobic!" Lori whisper-screamed from in the vent.

Rick and Shane hurriedly went to pull out a panicking Lori as Tara took off her denim jacket. "It's okay guys, I hear I'm good at persuading people."

"And who'd you hear that from?" Maggie raised a brow.

"You won't be saying that when I convince Kelly's dad to let her stay." Tara stated with just enough confidence that made Michonne stop and face her team.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Michonne looked amused.

"With my good looks." Tara sarcastically stated.

Michonne's face fell flat. "I think it's gonna take more than that." She said with a smile that slightly curved her lips.

"The only way we can make it work is if we stay on the same side. _All_ of us." Rick said as he and Shane helped Lori to her feet.

"Whew, I can breathe again." The dusty girl smiled then noticed all the frowns. "Guys, I didn't climb in that vent for nothing." Lori sighed when her team stared blankly at her. "We're all going in that room - I don't care what any of you say - and we are going to beg for our friend to stay if we have to. We can't just not try."

"Damn straight!" Shane enthused as the rest of the team subconsciously nodded.

"So, you're giving me permission to go in the vent?" Tara slowly questioned.

"Yes, but we need-"

"Great! Move aside - I'm going in!" Tara dove into the vent.

"A plan." Lori finished her sentence that was cut off when Tara pushed past her. "Well, don't just stand around! We have to get in there!" Lori ordered as Michonne was already crawling in knowing someone needed to stop Tara from ruining any chance of Kelly staying.

"No going back now." Carol mumbled as she went in after Rick.

Lori stood dumbfounded as she watched each of her teammates climb in through the vent, one after the other.

"Hey come on." Shane motioned for her to go first.

"Uh, yeah-no. I'm not going in that thing again. I'll take the front door."

"Fron-front door?" Shane leaned his head closer with a cocked brow as if he misheard her.

"Yeah we all should have gone in that way." Lori stated as she made her way around the building with Shane following close behind. "We'd probably get in less trouble." She shrugged. "But, hey, now you can make a romantic entrance!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane questioned.

"It means, you go in there an' sweep Kelly off her feet!" Lori patted Shane's shoulder in excitement.

"Her dad's in there! I'm not 'bout ta confess my love for her right then." Shane declared.

"Fine. Just say something good." Lori rolled her eyes in disappointment - even though, realistically speaking, Shane was right - and motioned for Shane to open the door.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Thank-you Mrs. Monroe and Mr. Blake for having my daughter. Again, I'm sorry I must cut her stay short."

"The pleasure was ours and no worries, we completely understand." Mr. Blake shook Kelly's father's hand.

"My things are still back at my-the cabin I was in." Kelly cleared her throat as she felt her voice get weak.

"I'll take you." Rosita pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against.

"Okay." Kelly smiled her thanks and turned back to her dad. "I guess I'll be back the-"

A loud thump from a far corner of the room interrupted Kelly.

Abraham stood from where he was seated. "What the-"

A metal screen slid across the floor as everyone focused on the now opened vent. What came next surprised everyone in the room. One by one members of Kelly's group came out of the tiny space.

"Ugh, what a nightmare." Tara dusted herself off and held out a hand for Michonne as she came out.

"Tara?! Michonne?!" Kelly's eyes widened in amazement and shock.

"Tara. Michonne." Mr. Blake cut in with a stern voice and an even less amused face. "What-" The camp director was cut off as Rick came through the vent followed by Carol, Maggie, and Glenn.

"What's going on here?!" Deanna questioned in outrage to the new additions now in the room. "Explain yourselves!"

Rick clear his throat and looked at his group as he thought of what to say. "Well we-"

"No! I don't want to hear any excuses!" Rosita went off. "You guys shouldn't even be here! I can't believe you guys came through a vent! Do you know how dangerous that is?! What if there was a rotary fan in the way or-or..." The leader trailed off and slumped down in a chair with a huff as her co-leader to their team comforted her.

Maggie looked at Rick, who was having a loss for words, and decided she would explain, but before she could the front door of the office swung open.

Shane came barging in through the door, with Lori not far behind. "Hey!" Shane exclaimed making sure all eyes were on him. "We know what's goin' on an' we're here to stop it."

"No one else thought of taking the front door?" Glenn questioned only loud enough for his closest teammates to hear.

Aaron stood with an uncomfortable smile as he leaned toward his daughter. "So, are these the friends you were talking about?"

Kelly, red with embarrassment, nodded. "Yeeaah."

Lori pushed past Shane and sighed at the mess her friends created. "Exactly, we're her _friends_ and we couldn't help but to overhear that you were here to take her."

"That's right! And we were jus' uh…" Rick started but looked to Michonne for help.

Michonne rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and walked forward. "It's just that this summer we've all built such a close relationship to each other that when we found out that Kelly might be leaving we overreacted. But that's because Kelly is such an important member of our team, and to continue on without her would leave us devastated."

"This is really sweet of you all." Kelly put a hand to her heart and smiled at her friends. "Where's Daryl?"

"With Sophia. It's probably best he's not here." Carol cringed imagining who her boyfriend would be yelling at; Mr. Phil or Kelly's dad. Or both.

"Yes, at least one of your teammates manages to not get in trouble." Mr. Phil noted. "And he's the one we were supposed to keep an eye on!"

"Sir, if anyone is to be blamed for my team's actions, it's me." Rick found his voice again. "I led them on."

"We were in this together, so I'll take the blame too." Carol voiced her thoughts.

Both Glenn and Maggie nodded. "Us too." Glenn stated.

The rest of the occupants eyes focused on Shane and Lori, who stood near the door. Shane rubbed the back of his head, "Yeeeah, me too."

"Same here." Lori murmured.

"Well good, 'cause you're all definitely in trouble." Mr. Blake announced. "I wouldn't be surprised if we sent you home as well."

"I wouldn't push it that far, Phil. We gotta remember they're still kids." Deanna spoke up. "They'll learn along the way. They've already come so far. Look at them, they went through a vent to take a stand for their friend. The radical change in every member of this team's behavior is truly inspiring. However, you did cross a line and that will be dealt with later. Rosita, Abraham? How about you take your group now while we speak with Mr. Bolden?"

"You got it boss." Abraham waved his team toward the door as Michonne quickly hugged Kelly before she left.

When Kelly's team was finally gone Mr. Blake went over and put the cover back on the vent and thought for a moment before he stood to face Aaron. "Mr. Bolden, I'd like to apologize on behalf of this whole situation."

Aaron nodded and sat back down. "That's alright. I can see why my dramatic daughter loves it here." He joked.

"Yes, well, she definitely adds to it." Mr. Phil laughed before he thought of his next words. "I think it'd be a great idea if you allowed Kelly to show you a little around the camp before the two of you head off, if of course you're not in a rush."

Aaron looked at Kelly. "I wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I could show you the lake. Maybe we could even talk about this whole, going home situation." Kelly's mischievous smile had Aaron rolling his eyes.

"I would like to hear your negotiating skills. But my mind's been made up." Aaron put gently as Kelly grabbed his hand.

"We'll see." The girl mumbled under her breath as she led her father out of the office.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Daryl, where do babies come from?" Sophia asked as her team of five and six year olds surrounded him with eyes as huge as saucers.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Uh, I think that there's something to do with a bird-"

"My mom says they come down from Chimneys because Santa brings them." Little Carl said but then he furrowed a brow. "But Santa made a mistake and gave my mom two babies, at the same time! That's why Judy is here too." He stated as his sister nodded along.

Daryl blinked a few times. "That sounds 'bout right." The older boy nodded.

"Are you sure Mr. Daryl?" Patrick began to question having heard something different from his mother.

"I think Daryl knows what he says." Beth said to her team before smiling up at Daryl. "I'll take your word Daryl."

He laughed nervously. "Right uh-"

"Hey little ones!" A voice called out and Daryl quickly whipped around, he was never so relieved to see Carol.

"Miss Carol, where do babies come from?" Andre now questioned.

Carol's eyes widened as she looked at Daryl. "Don't you wish you came with us." The girl giggled as Daryl nodded then she knelt down to meet the level of the children. "A big bird called a stork flies over houses with a baby bundled in a cozy blanket and delivers them through chimneys safely to their parents."

"I thought Santa brought them." Carl cut back in with an exhausted expression as he tried to understand.

"I'm afraid not, Santa only comes to bring toys for the baby." Carol said with a convincing voice that even made Daryl believe her for a second. "Now come on! I got a group of people who are dying to see you all!" All the kinders and firsties jumped in excitement as Carol lead them to her team.

"Shane! Shane!" Patrick, Zach and Andre chanted while they ran to try and tackle the teen boy who played along and fell to the ground.

"Alrigh' ya'll got me!" He surrendered.

"Hey, Carl." Rick high-fived the young firstie. "What's new with you?"

"Looking for leaves so I can be like Mr. Phil and wear an eye patch!" The boy said excitedly.

Rick nodded with amusement. "Let me give you a hand." He offered as the two went off.

"Maggie!" Little Beth came charging at her sister. "Look at what I caught."

Beth opened her hand to reveal what was inside. "Eww put that down." Maggie shivered at the sight of the reptile and slapped the thing out of her sister's hand as the scaly creature scuttled away.

Glenn's mouth dropped. "Maggie, are you afraid of lizards?"

"Aww Maggie! That little thing did nuthin to you!" Beth pouted.

"Well I'm not afraid of lizards. It could have some type of-of... sickness!" Maggie offered though the look Glenn gave her told her that he'd seen right through her lie.

"I think you owe Beth her lizard back." Glenn stated with a raised brow.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm gonna prove you wrong though. I ain't afraid of a lizard."

"Great! N' you can say you're sorry when we find her!" Beth sighed in relief and pulled Maggie toward the shrubs as she groaned.

Mika shyly walked up to Carol. "Mmm, Carol, where is Kelly? It's just, last time I was with her she promised she'd braid my hair and well… I was wondering if she was here."

Carol gave the girl a smile. "Well Kelly is a little busy, but you're in luck, 'cause I make a wonderful braid."

"Can you do mine too Carol?!" Little Judith asked.

"Oooh me too!" Sophia smiled brightly.

"Oooh, how about all us girls stay here and do each others hair while you boys go and… and do what boys do." Lori suggested.

"Deal!" Both Daryl and Shane answered at the same time.

"Come on guys, I'll show you how to catch frogs." Shane offered as the younger boys jumped in excitement and hurriedly followed the older boys.

"N' I'll show ya'll how ta catch 'em the right way." Daryl smirked as Shane pushed him.

"Ugh, we have to do hair?" Tara sat down with the girls and tried to study the way Carol began folding Mika's hair. "This has to be dark magic." She shook her head with more appreciation for the hair style.

Lori, Michonne and Carol giggled.

"It's not too hard once you get the hang of it." Michonne shrugged but remained focused on Sophia's hair.

"Well it's a good thing you're not gonna be here any longer than you have to." Carol stated as she nodded to the approaching person.

"Wha-what's - why is Alisha coming over here?!" Tara panicked, quickly tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear and trying to look relaxed.

Lori shrugged. "I wonder if it has anything to do with me inviting her." She smiled slyly over to the other girls then continued to braid Judith's hair as she wove little flowers into the plaits as she went.

"You invited her?!" Tara gasped in horror. "I'm not ready!"

"It's okay Tara." Judith spoke up not daring to move her head as Lori continued to work on it. "Making friends can be hard, but I think you'll do just fine!" She assured while the older girls held back their giggles.

Tara smiled at that. "Well thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

Alisha walked toward them and stopped right in front of the group. "Hi." The girl said awkwardly.

"Hey Alisha!" Michonne smiled as Tara wondered how her friends could seem so comfortable at such an obviously nerve-wracking moment.

"He-Hey." Tara mumbled as the little girls all said hello.

"Pretty braids." Alisha smiled to the little ones.

"Would you like to join us?" Mika politely asked.

"Oh, I'm not too into hair, but thanks for the invite." Alisha said gently. "I actually came to see if Tara wanted to take a walk with me." She said as she turned to a very shocked girl who was sitting on a large rock.

Tara looked completely caught off guard. "Wha-mmh-tha-"

"She'd love that!" Carol cut in. "Go on." She nudged Tara, who immediately stood.

"Okay." Hesitantly she walked to Alisha keeping her head low and her eyes on the ground as the two slowly walked away.

"CAROL!" All the girls turned in alert to the direction of the gruff voice that called out. The voice belonged to Daryl. "Were any of you planning to tell me that Kelly's goin' home?!"

"Oh no! Is that why Kelly is busy?!" Mika asked as her eyes filled with tears causing the other girls to pout.

"When there weren't kids around, yes." Carol calmly answered her boyfriend as he shut his eyes and cursed himself. If there was one thing he was good at, it was making five and six year old girls cry. Though, at the moment, he felt like crying too.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

After the two walked for a few minutes and reached a trail, Alisha stole a glance at Tara. "I didn't take you for the nervous type."

Tara raised a brow. "Neither did I." She stated with honesty as Alisha chuckled.

"Well, you don't have to be that way with me." She assured. "We kinda only have two weeks together, and I don't want you to hold back. I want to get to know _you_."

Tara nodded. "Then let's start."

"Okay. What's your favorite thing about camp?"

"Beating your team." Tara teased as Alisha nudged her with her shoulder.

"Ha-Ha." She rolled her eyes playfully. "Though, I will say, your team has made the camp more interesting. It's not like the years before."

"How so?" Tara asked.

"Well, My team has actually started losing games and Ed got a bloody nose and more because of your teammate, Shane. Then we fought with paint guns at midnight while fireworks mysteriously went off. Now, I'm lying to my team. I told them I was going to go down by the lake and read a book when really, I'm finally spending time with the girl I have a crush on - who happens to be on the team that my team hates."

"Girl you have a crush on?" That was the only thing that Tara grasped onto as Alisha rolled her eyes again.

"I maybe-sorta have a crush on you." She shrugged and gazed at the girl walking beside her.

Tara nodded. "I'm sure you've noticed but I kinda think you're cute."

"Trust me, I've noticed." She teased. "I like being around you. You get me." Alisha stated as she stopped and faced Tara. "I didn't even know I liked girls before camp."

"Wow." Tara slowly smiled. "I guess I have that kind of affect on people."

Alisha chuckled and playfully pushed Tara's shoulder. "Are you always this full of shit?"

"Yes I am." Tara said with pride.

"Gosh you're such a douche!"

"Hey!" She gasped. "I'll have you know, I'm a very caring person." Tara stated as Alisha looked at her with disbelief. "It's the truth."

The two girls shared a laugh that tapered off into silence. Neither spoke, instead they stared at each other for a moment before time caught up with them.

Tara cleared her throat. "I like your eyes."

Alisha smiled again. "I like your face." She laughed when Tara looked away, trying to hide the light color of red that flushed her cheeks.

"I really like you Tara. I was wondering if we could use these last two weeks to start getting to know each other?"

Tara nodded in understanding. "Sounds great! 'Cause I like you too."

"Wow, I think we're really meant for each other." Alisha joked making the other girl roll her eyes.

"We should get back to the others but maybe we could hang out tomorrow? After lunch?" Tara asked hopefully to which Alisha agreed. With that, they both walked back to the group of girls with smiles that stung their cheeks.

Lori couldn't help but smile too at the sight of them. "Hey-"

"FREEZE!"

A voice called out as everyone obeyed - except Alisha who turned to see the imposer. Her eyes landed on a little blond girl holding a hand made slingshot that was pointed directly at her head.

"I told you to Freeze!" The small girl repeated fiercely before pulling back the string and releasing it as a clump of dirt flew and hit Alisha square in the face.

Instantly all the other little girls began to scream.

"Lizzie!" Tara gasped. "That was not cool!"

"No, it's okay, Tara." Alisha assured as she wiped her face with her hand. "She said freeze and I didn't. But let's see what happens when the game is fair, 'cause after all, you _were_ armed with a weapon." Alisha challenged the firstie who had a smug smirk along her lips.

"Like what?" Lizzie questioned.

"I don't know, are you good on your feet?" Alisha asked, her own smug smirk growing as the younger one's eyes widened.

Lizzie dropped the contraption that she had made and took off in a sprint. Alisha and Tara shared a smile with one another and took off to chase after the girl.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"And this is where I've been sleeping!" Kelly went over to the bunk she slept on in the big room of her cabin as she watched her father pan over the room with his eyes.

"Not too shabby." Aaron smiled.

"Yeah. We like to keep it clean." When Aaron raised a brow Kelly sighed. "Okay, fine! Rosita likes to keep it clean." Kelly took a seat on her bed as Aaron walked over and sat beside her.

"You really did like it here, huh?" The man looked at his daughter's deep blue eyes.

"I did, I do. I finally found friends dad. And I knew it wasn't going to last forever, but I didn't think it'd last this short either." She sighed.

"I'm sorry sweetie. If I'd known, I wouldn't have driven all the way down here. I honestly thought you were miserable." He cringed and wrapped an arm around Kelly's shoulders.

"I know, I don't blame you." She was silent for a moment before her eyes met her dad's. "In all of this, there's one thing that still doesn't make sense to me."

Aaron wrinkled a brow. "And what's that, hun?"

"The fact that other dad didn't come. I know he broke his ankle - but even if he lost all his limbs and every single one of his teeth, he'd still make it a priority to see me at the first chance he got."

"You're too smart for me, Kel." Aaron gave her a weak smile then kissed her forehead. "You're right, you're dad didn't come _just_ 'cause he broke his ankle."

"Then why?" Kelly questioned.

"Well, you know how you always made jokes about getting too old for all the moving around from place to place?"

"I wasn't joking." Kelly quickly noted. "But, please, continue."

"Right." Aaron chuckled then he cleared his throat. "Kelly, me and your father bought a house."

"What?" The girl gasped as tears immediately filled her eyes. "Really?! Dad tha-that's amazing!" She shifted so that she could wrap her arms tightly around her father's torso.

"I know sweetie." He kissed the top of her head. "We have a _home_ now."

Kelly smiled through the tears that slowly slid down her face. "This is better than Christmas! _Wait_ , do I get my own room?"

"Of course." Aaron chuckled.

"O.M.G this _is_ better than Christmas!" Kelly squealed. "I want to hear everything about it! How did you know it was the one?!" Kelly questioned with dreamy eyes.

"Well, your father and I had been house hunting for a while and when we came across this light grey, white trimmed, two story house," After Kelly gasped with excitement at the details, Aaron continued, "Your dad immediately fell in love with it, he said it had great curb appeal." Aaron shrugged. "But I knew you'd love it too, so we got it. We're near the city and a great high school."

Kelly smiled. "Wow, a school. I could join a club or something." Kelly thought aloud of all the possibilities.

Aaron smirked giving his daughter a slight nod before his laugh lines faded at the thought of the other news. "Well, Kel, there's more. I wanted your dad to be here when we told you."

"Told me what?" Kelly questioned.

"Me and your father decided that we'd try and adopt again." Kelly said no words but instead she hugged her dad tighter than ever before. Even when Kelly was in foster care she had wished that she had a sibling, someone to love and look after. Now her dream could become a reality. "Sweetie, after we got the house, your dad and I signed up with this great agency. It's a really great agency and uh… within a week they had found us a match." Aaron clear his throat.

Kelly's eyes widened. "Wow, that's really fast."

Aaron hummed. "That was four weeks ago, honey." He felt his daughter's grip around him loosen. "You have a little sister now, Kel."

Kelly quickly got off the bed to face her father. "What? Dad, what does that mean?"

"I know, I know, Kelly. This is a lot to take in all at once but your dad and I were just as shocked. Everything happened so fast, it was meant to be."

"Guess good things only happen when I'm not around, huh?" Kelly shook her head and looked away from the man.

"No, Kelly, don't be ridiculous! We know how much you wanted a sibling, so your father and I didn't want to get your hopes up. That's the _only_ reason why we didn't tell you. We thought it was going to be a long process."

"Well I was willing to go through that process, 'cause at least we'd be going through that process together! Instead you send me away while you get what you've always wanted."

"Kelly! You're wanted! Me and your dad love you."

"I find that hard to believe. How can you want and love me when my biological parents didn't?"

"You don't know that, Kelly. There could have been a number of reasons that you were put up for adoption." Aaron clenched his jaw. He hated seeing his daughter so hurt.

Kelly shook her head. "I've known that they didn't want me since I was eight years old. The second I was born they gave me to the state. I've seen my files, dad."

"Oh Kells…" Aaron trailed off quietly.

"And then a year later, they told me that a couple was interested in meeting _me_. That they _wanted_ to _adopt me_. I just didn't get _why_ you'd want me." Kelly wiped her eyes and embraced her father when he stood and walked to her. A smile tugged on her lips as she burrowed her face into Aaron's chest. "I know that you and dad wanted me back then. It just took me a while to accept that. It took me an even longer time to accept that you both loved me."

Aaron kissed the top of Kelly's head. "Your dad and I love you very much. You are our first child. Nothing will ever change that. It was wrong of us to not tell you about adopting again. This was big for you too and we took that experience away from you. I'm sorry sweetie." Aaron said, still holding Kelly.

"Guess you'll just have to go through it one more time." Kelly teased.

"Wha-wait-Kelly! I-" Aaron stammered only to be cut off by his oldest daughter's laughter.

"I'm just kidding." Kelly smirked into her dad's chest, "Mostly." she whispered the last part too quietly for her dad to hear.

"Oh thank goodness." Aaron laughed.

"Is she pretty?" Kelly asked once she felt more at ease, breaking the calm silence that they stood in.

Aaron smiled and kissed Kelly's head. "She's beautiful, like you."

Kelly bit her lip and moved to sit on her bed. "How old?"

Again Aaron went to sit by her side. "She's six."

Kelly nodded as she soaked it all in. "Tell me about her. What's she like?" Kelly's dreamy eyes reappeared.

There was so much to tell about his new little girl. Aaron sighed as he relaxed and held his first daughter close to him. "She has wavy brown hair past her shoulders and these amazing light green eyes... Oh! And get this, her name is Molly."

Kelly smiled. "Molly? _Molly_. Kelly and Molly… I like that."

"Me too." He agreed. "And she is _sooo_ polite and kind - but then again, so were you until you started getting comfortable." Aaron joked. "She loves pink, and dolls, and helping your dad get around. Mhh, I got a picture… you wanna see her?" Kelly nodded her head eagerly as Aaron reached in his back pocket and grabbed his wallet then opened it and slipped out a picture of a little girl and handed it to her.

Kelly studied the picture thoroughly for a good minute. She didn't want to take her eyes off of the tiny four-by-four piece of paper and her smile was beginning to sting. "Wow, she's a keeper." Kelly smirked.

"You'll love her." Aaron thought aloud.

"I already do." She assured. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Then start packing! We can go as soon as you're done!" Aaron stood with excitement.

Now Kelly felt guilty. "Really want to, dad, but…"

"You still want to stay, huh?"

"I want to meet my sister but I want to stay here. You couldn't have just brung her, dad?" Kelly sighed and decided it was best to blame someone else.

Aaron caught on and rolled his eyes. "Listen, I would say you can stay but you have to talk to your dad first." He took out his phone and handed it to Kelly as her face went into shock.

"Oh. My. Gosh. I haven't held a cell phone in so long!" She said petting the device.

Aaron furrowed a brow. "Kel? You okay?"

"Yeah sorry! I'm just having withdrawals." She cleared her throat and dialed her other dad's number.

The phone rang once before someone picked up. "Aaron, are you on your way home?" The male voice questioned with a hint of excitement.

"Dad? It's Kelly." The girl began to pace back and forth.

The man gasped. "Kel! When are you getting home?! I can't way to see you!"

"That's what I'm calling you about." Kelly cringed. "I heard of the news, both, actually." She laughed but it was weak.

"Oh sweetie. How are you with it all? I know it's a lot." His voice was soothing and it made Kelly want to reach through the phone and give him a hug.

"I'm okay, now. I can't wait to meet her, but… I'm really gonna miss my friends here at cam-"

"Friends?! More than one?! I knew you'd have at least one- but multiple?! That's just great!" Eric enthused.

"Yeah, thanks." Kelly smirked. "Anyway, I was talking with dad and I know you guys aren't giving me a choice but I really want to stay here daddy."

Eric was quiet for a few moments and for a second Kelly thought he had hung up until she heard him sigh. "Kelly, I miss you and for my own selfish reasons I want you to come home today, but I could never make you come home from a place that is helping make you an independent young lady - well I could, it just wouldn't feel right." Eric chuckled. "So, sweetheart, the decision isn't up to me or your dad. It's up to _you_. Do you want to stay? Or do you want to come home?"

"I want to stay… I think. I feel guilty saying that - and I'm not even sure if that's what I want!" Kelly groaned in frustration as she flopped onto her bed with Aaron watching helplessly.

"Sweetie, in two weeks we'll still be here waiting to see you - your dad, Molly, and I. It might be harder to see your friends. Sure you could call and text them, but they're not always going to be easy to reach. I want you to get as much time with them as possible before camp does end."

Kelly smiled. "Well when you up it that way." She chuckled. "I think I will stay. Thank-you dad. I love you."

"No problem, sugar plum." Eric replied with a more laid back tone. "I love you too."

"See you in two weeks." Kelly said before ending the call and looking at Aaron. "Okay, guess that's that."

Aaron smiled. "Tell that to my gas tank." He joked and pulled her in for a hug. "I gotta get goin, honey. I'll speak with Mr. Phil and let him in on the change of events. I'm really proud of you. You're going to be a great big sister, she's excited to meet you."

That comment brought tears to Kelly's eyes. That had been by far the hardest decision, but she knew she was making the right one. It would be only two more weeks - after waiting her whole life - to meet the sister she's always wanted. "Dad, can I keep this picture of Molly?" She went over to her bed and picked the photo up.

"It's yours." Aaron nodded as he wrapped her in one more hug and kissed her on the temple. He then picked up his coat and headed toward the door.

"Dad!" Kelly called to him making him turn to face her. "Don't you forget about me." She smiled at the look he gave her.

"Never." He stated then blew a kiss toward her before he left.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Kelly wandered around in the summer's cool afternoon weather. The mountains that were in the distance with the candy colored sky above was a beautiful sight to take in after the long day. She didn't know where her team would be, though she didn't mind the walk. It was peaceful and quiet and it gave her time to imagine all the things she would get to teach her new little sister. Kelly never knew that someone could miss a person they hadn't met yet, but Kelly felt like she already knew Molly and looking at the photo of the little girl made her feel like they had been sisters forever.

Kelly noticed a group of people standing by the lake when she walked up a hill. She couldn't make out any faces but a man's fire-red hair told her it was her group.

They all were looking out toward the lake and at first Kelly found it strange but as she neared them it began to make sense.

"Daryl, please, I think I know more 'bout fishing than you." Kelly could hear her leader say as she got closer.

"Yeah? We'll see who catches what." Daryl retorted.

"I have to side with Daryl." Tara chimed in. "We missed dinner for this and I'm not about to go to bed hungry."

Kelly rolled her eyes and bit back a laugh. It was kind of fun to observe her group without them knowing. They all looked frustrated and hungry with their fishing poles cast in the lake.

Shane grunted. "This ain't workin'!" He huffed and threw his pole. He turned away from the lake but before he could stomp off he froze when his eyes landed on the girl standing there. "Kel-Kelly." The boy finally choked out as his face showed clear shock while the rest of the team turned and dropped their poles.

"Hey kid!" Abraham smiled at the sight of her.

"Hi." Kelly returned a kind smile to her leader and when she looked back at her friends they all seemed unable to take their eyes off her. "Hey everybody." She said a bit hesitantly. "Thanks for trying to make them let me to stay earlier. I could never have asked you guys to do that for me."

"Hey, we'd do it again if we had to." Rick assured.

"Does that mean you're here to say goodbye?" Maggie fearfully asked.

Kelly looked at her team with a blank face for a moment. They seemed to hate the suspense, but then again, Kelly liked being dramatic - another characteristic she hoped to pass along to her little sister. "Nope. I'm here to stay!" Everyone gasped with excitement and before anyone could run to hug her, Shane already had his arms wrapped around the girl.

"I'm glad you stayed." Shane whispered to her.

"Me too." Kelly hugged him back and when they let go of one another Kelly couldn't help but smile at him.

"Calm down, ya'll aren't dating yet." Daryl smirked as he moved Shane aside and quickly gave Kelly a hug before the girls came and surrounded her.

"Kelly! I was so worried it wouldn't work." Lori hugged her tight before Tara came and pushed her way through.

"Kel, guess who has an almost girlfriend!" Tara said almost tackling her friend.

"I'm gonna guess it's you!" Kelly squealed. "But guess who has a sister!"

Tara froze and so did the others. "Damn, why does everyone have better news than me." The girl shook her head before pulling Kelly into another hug.

"Congrats!" Glenn went to give Kelly a hug.

"Congratulations Kelly." Rick went to hug the girl too.

"Glad to hear it, Kelly." Abraham patted her back as Rosita rushed in and tightly held the girl and kissed the top of her head repeatedly while the rest of the team watched Kelly struggle to breathe.

When she was released Michonne tilted her head as a realization came over her. "Wait… you found out you have a sister but you chose to stay here and finish camp with us?" Michonne questioned.

"Yeah. Strange right?" Kelly replied jokingly.

Michonne chucked and embraced her friend.

For the rest of the day Kelly had explained how she found out about the adoption and her new home. After eating the fish that Daryl had managed to catch, gut, clean, and cook over a fire pit, Kelly then passed around the picture of Molly in which the girls cooed over how chubby the six year old's cheeks were and how cute she was.

* * *

 ** _And there it is! Kelly is a big sis now! Her sister, Molly, is a character from the Walking Dead T.V. show, she was usually around Lizzie and Mika at the prison. I just thought she was soo cute and her name kinda went along with Kelly's so I though it would be adorable. Next chapter will have some more exciting things and cute Richonne and Caryl scenes! ;)_**

 ** _This story will be ending after several more chapters. I do want to write a sequel where they maybe all come back to camp? Not sure yet, let me know what you guys think. I do think that will be fun, but I'll talk more about that when I get to the epilogue of this story. We still got a lot more to get through with this one, so don't worry! :)_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	17. Chapter 16: The Last One Standing

**_This meant to be posted three weeks ago but some unexpected traveling happened. Sorry about the wait! Next chapter will be posted a lot sooner!_**

 ** _And yayay, I'm glad to see some of you are on board for a sequel!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Last One Standing**

Shane watched over the shoulders of Kelly and Tara as they cut fruit for breakfast. He was always done with his tasks faster than the girls so when he was finished he'd go around the kitchen making sure everything was running smoothly.

"Jeez, Tara! You cut any faster n' you'll cut yer hand off." He said sarcastically to the girl's sluggish motions.

Tara slowly turned to face the boy. "Never criticize someone with a knife."

"Like you'll actually hurt me." Shane laughed.

"Don't test me, I have a short temper." Tara threatened.

"That's enough you two! I'm not cleaning any blood after this. My shift ends at 7:35 - whether one of you is bleeding out or not." Kelly scolded as she remained concentrated on the watermelon she was slicing.

Tara huffed and turned back to her uncut strawberries. "Yeah, yeah, you're just lucky Chef Shane has a crush on you." Tara tried to hide her malicious smile but it grew beyond her control.

Kelly could feel her cheeks get hot. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Yeah!" Shane moved to the opposite side of the table to face the girls. "I could criticize Kelly if I wanted to." He testified.

Tara raised a challenging brow as a sly smile played on her lips. "Go ahead then. What does Kelly not do right? Unless you're too afraid to answer that question." Tara taunted.

Shane looked from one girl to the other and nonchalantly shrugged. "M'not afraid."

"Then let's hear it." Kelly smiled with an arched brow. "I'm a big girl, I can take it." She assured.

Shane studied her for a second before nodding. "Alright then. You never close a cabinet after you look through it." He said at last.

Kelly's mouth fell agape. "Do too!"

"You really don't." Tara chuckled getting a kick out of her friend's expression.

"N' you never clean or put away your dishes - neither do you Tara." Shane began to list.

"Hey!" Tara's blissful moment had been cut short. "We're here to prep the food, that's it."

"Yeah, washing dishes isn't in our job description." Kelly backed up.

"Fine - but you guys don't even put your hair nets on the right way." Shane stated.

"What do you know about hair?" Tara smirked before her expression rapidly changed to a grimace. "And you're only supposed to be criticizing Kelly!" She huffed.

"Hey! I had hair once- but now's not the time to get into that." Shane calmly stated as he nodded to Kelly's grateful smile. He knew that she was sorry for shaving his hair - it was meant to be a prank after all - and he didn't want to keep reminding her of it.

"Okay, I get it. I could be better at this. I'll try my best to close cabinets and put my hairnet on tighter... and, maybe, even wash some dishes." Kelly sighed in defeat.

Shane smiled with satisfaction. "Good." He inhaled feeling refreshed as he pulled away from the table. "Oh! Can you also stop mixing up the spices during dinner too?"

"Don't push it." Kelly narrowed her eyes.

"What aren't we pushing?" A new voice asked as they walked through the double doors of the kitchen.

"N' where the hell have you been?" Both Tara and Shane simultaneously questioned.

"Calm down. I was just getting ready." Andrea rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should get up earlier." Shane hissed then turned to Kelly and Tara. "At least one thing you get right is showin' up on time."

"Go to hell, Shane." Andrea gave him a disgusted look before moving to the drawers that held latex gloves and hairnets.

"Mm, I think I'm already there." The boy huffed. Only one more week and he wouldn't have to work side-by-side with his crazy ex anymore. He was just glad he had Kelly and Tara to get him through the kitchen punishment.

"I'm gonna get some frozen berries from the back." Kelly spoke up after the heavy silence filled the kitchen.

"I'll get them!" Shane hurriedly offered not wanting to spend another second in the same tight space as Andrea.

The boy wasn't in a rush to fetch the berries, as a matter of fact, he wanted to take as much time as possible. He rounded a corner and into a small hallway in the back of the kitchen where the walk-in freezer was and stopped.

The exit door to the kitchen was slightly opened.

Shane cautiously walked toward the door and took a look outside. "Mary?" He called out. "You out here?" When he got no response he shrugged closing the door back up then headed in the direction toward the freezer.

When the freezer was in sight, again, Shane stopped. The door to the freezer was also cracked opened.

The boy furrowed a brow and continued forward. "It's too early for this." He mumbled under his breath.

With a heavy breath in, Shane's muscles tensed as he pulled open the dense metal door. "Shit! _Glenn_! What the heck are you doin' in here?!" He growled at the person standing inside the freezer, who was eating a handful of frozen berries. "I could have punched you! I thought you were some kind of raccoon."

"You'd punch a raccoon?" Glenn grimaced and he wiped his face with his forearm. "Tell me, Shane, what raccoon opens doors?"

"Hey, anything is possible - but don't go changing the subject!" Shane pointed at his teammate. "Now answer my question. What are you doing in the freezer eatin' the berries that I gotta give to Kel?"

"I just want to get enough nutrition." Glenn shrugged as he handed a crate to Shane.

"Why don't I believe you?" Shane raised a brow to the shorter boy.

"I don't know, Shane, but this distrust really hurts my feelings." Glenn made his way out of the freezer and shut the door tight after Shane exited.

"Glenn, I'm serious." Shane stopped in front of his friend. "What's your game? Are you casin' the joint while everyone is off eating their meals?!" He questioned with a hint of excitement. He didn't take Glenn for the klepto type but it's always the ones you least expect.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Glenn asked in bewilderment keeping his voice hushed. The last thing he needed was for Kelly and Tara to find out he was here too. "You really want to know the truth?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Shane nodded.

"I can't tell you." Before Shane could interrupt to start an argument Glenn finished. "Not yet at least! I'm kinda running out of time here and I can't have others knowing."

"C'mon, you're really not gonna tell me?" Shane furrowed a brow in frustration. "Since the very first day of camp you've been sneaking around."

"I know, I know but you have to know that this is for the good of our team." Glenn assured.

Shane took a moment to think about it. Glenn did look honest and he wasn't stuttering- not like he usually would when he was lying. "Alright." Shane swallowed hard. "Is there any way I could help?"

"Maybe set aside some food for me. Meals are the only time I do this." Glenn explained.

"Shane! What's taking so long?!" Kelly called out as her voice became louder notifying the guys that she was coming their way.

"Uh, nothin'! I'm comin'!" Shane panicked and nodded to the freezer as Glenn hesitated but willingly went in and shut the door behind him. "Shit." He huffed under his breath before popping out around the corner and stopping right in front of Kelly with an innocent smile on his face.

"Come on, people are already showing up." Kelly stated and took the crate from Shane then the two headed back to the front of the kitchen and began serving with Tara and Andrea.

"You closed the freezer right Shane? We got ice cream for dessert tonight and that's the only thing I'm looking forward to." Tara questioned as she placed fruit on the slowly passing campers' trays on the other side of the salad bar.

"Yeah- it locks automatically when you close it so your ice cream should be fine." Shane assured but then a realization hit him hard and now it wasn't so reassuring to him.

"Hey guys!" Maggie came to the serving line. "Has Glenn come by yet?"

"No." Shane painfully answered as he panicked on the inside. _He's locked inside a freakin' freezer!_ "I think we need more berries." Shane said quietly before setting down his serving spoon.

Kelly shook her head. "I think we'll have enough-" But Shane was already hurrying away.

"Be right back!" The teen exclaimed.

Kelly furrowed a brow. Shane looked really anxious about something. "Okay, if that's what you want." She said to herself. The girl was a little worried as she watched Shane quickly disappear towards the back of the kitchen. He took preparing food way too seriously. _Well at least he's genuinely passionate about something._ Kelly thought for a moment then went back to serving her fellow campers.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Every time Daryl saw Carol he would get this surreal feeling that caused his throat to get caught. It was like she was taking his breath way - and he didn't mind it. She was bright, kind, and very beautiful. Honestly? He thought he was lucky to even have met her.

That morning Daryl was out on the large dock that hovered over the lake waiting for her and when his eyes finally landed on Carol he tried to ignore the usual feeling.

Why? Because that morning Daryl woke up to reality. The reality was that there were two weeks left of camp.

When this was over he would go back to living with his brother in a trailer park located in the bad part of his town. He'd have to go back to the school where everyone was afraid to talk to him. He'd go back to a place where the county police were more familiar with him than his own teachers. He would be going back to a place he didn't like.

The truth was that he didn't want to go back, where they looked at him as the 'messed up' kid. He liked it here where the people got to know him before they judged. He liked it here with Carol.

The dreadful feeling of not getting to see her everyday is what really scared him and he knew it wouldn't be the same after camp. Being who he was now just wouldn't work where he was from. He needed to start acting like he used to - or at least that's what he told himself when he got dressed for the day.

That morning Daryl woke up knowing that in two weeks he was going to act like the person he hated the most. His old self.

"Good morning!" Carol greeted with a sweet smile.

"Yeah." Daryl said hoarsely.

He was barely looking at her but she shrugged it off. "It's nice and cool out today..."

"Should be good for the game today." Daryl noted as he looked out to the lake.

Carol also looked out to the lake and listened to the sounds of nature. She glanced at Daryl for a brief moment and could sense his discomfort. It was complete silence between the two for another moment before Carol got restless. "Water looks nice…" It was a horrible tactic to get him to speak but she was really starting to feel concerned.

"Yup." Was Daryl's only response.

Carol looked around as if she was in search for something. Usually by now Daryl would go on about the different types of fish that could be living in the lake or how the shrubs were put in by a landscaper because an Indian Hawthorn naturally grows south of California and not Georgia. She knew something was wrong so she reached for Daryl's hand and gave it a squeeze.

She watched as he looked down at their intertwined fingers before he softly slipped his hand out of her's.

Carol folded her arms across her chest sheepishly as her cheeks heated up with slight embarrassment. "What's wrong?" She was barely able to find her voice but that was what she found herself asking.

"Nuthin." Daryl shrugged with a quick glance in her direction as he chewed on his inner lip. He hadn't done that in a while which meant he was already returning to his bad habits. He thought it might be harder to go back to his old ways but it was pretty easy and that actually scared him.

Carol looked at him with concern. "Daryl you don't usually act like this-"

"How do you know what I act like?" The boy tisked before sighing in defeat. "Things change, Carol." Daryl put lightly.

"Yeah and the sky's blue, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Summer's ending, 'n' things are gonna change. My feelings changed." He shrugged as if he didn't care - but he really did. The look on Carol's face made him feel sick. He could tell that she knew what he was going to say. "It's best to end things now rather than wait til the last day. Right?"

"You're breaking up with me?" Carol waited and when Daryl finally nodded, she scratched her brow. She couldn't help but feel hurt and confused. "And you just randomly decided that when you woke up this morning?" She asked in a tone that told him she was upset.

"I don't want to, it's just what has to happen." He stated.

"This is only happening, Daryl, because you think that after summer I'm just going to forget you... am I right?"

Daryl looked away from her. "Carol, jus' stop."

"No, because I thought about that too." Daryl looked back at her as she continued to speak. "... I could never forget you." She said nervously. Her palms were moist and clammy and her heart was beating a little too fast for her liking. "This summer was- _is_ the best summer I ever had, and you're a big reason why." Carol saw the corners of his lips twitch which put her a little at ease. "You're too important for me to forget." She said at last before slowly looking down as she could feel his eyes on her.

Daryl felt a strange feeling in his stomach that was very familiar to him now. A feeling only Carol gave him. "I jus' don't think you're gonna like who I have to be." He said quietly.

Carol was confused again. "Why can't you just be who you are?"

"Maybe who I am isn't who you like. Maybe who I am is...is what I used to be."

"You think that?" Carol asked but all Daryl did was shrug. "I don't think that." Carol moved a step closer to him. "You were nice to me this whole summer and nobody made you be."

"That's different, I liked you." Daryl stated.

"Then how do you explain all the kinders and firsties who love you? _Sophia_? You could have left her on the mountain but you made sure she came back to camp safely. You made friends with the rest of our team and you care about them. You can't fake that, Daryl. I think that you changed this camp, not the other way around. This summer only showed you who you've always been on the inside."

Carol was right but why did it take her to help him believe the words he'd tried telling himself for the past few days.

Daryl clenched his jaw. _I'm a freaking moron._ Was he just know realizing that maybe Carol really did care about him? _What if this was it? What if I just ruined it with her?! How could she like me now- I need to stop that, I can't keep asking ''what if'._ Daryl told himself remembering what Michonne had said the other day. _God, I'm as emotional as a lil' six-year-old_ _girl_ _. No more doubting myself._ He promised.

Daryl sighed and looked her in the eyes. "I spent most of the summer tryin' to have you like me, then when I'm finally with you, I blow it." He felt like laughing at his stupidity but thought he should at least leave himself with some dignity.

Carol smiled at that. "You didn't completely blow it." She reassured him.

"I'll make it up to you." Daryl offered with a bit of a plea in his voice. "What could I do?"

Carol seemed caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I fell for you, Carol, but when I did… I wasn't ready." He said before moving toward her. "I'm ready now, Carol. I'll prove it to you, jus' tell me how." His voice was calm and sure towards the end and this time Daryl was the one to reach out and squeeze her hand softly, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her smooth familiarly delicate hand.

The way he was looking at her was different. He seemed more certain of things and it appeared that whatever was holding him back had vanished. Carol found herself trapped in his gaze and how intense it was. He was looking at her and she couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation all over.

She swallowed hard when she remembered that he was waiting for a response. She quickly ignored the fact that her face was warmer than usual and smiled. "I know you mean it, Daryl… then again, you did break up with me like a minute ago." Carol said mostly to herself as she thought it over.

Daryl nodded. He wasn't going to mess this up anymore. No more being unsure of things. After camp he was still going to have her in his life, that wasn't going to change - he wouldn't let it. "Carol, if you give me a second chance I will-I'll-"

"Jump in the lake?" Carol lifted a brow as a smirk played on her lips when confusion now took over his face.

"That's how you want me to prove it?" Daryl looked from the girl to the water then back to her. "I'll do it." He easily agreed.

Carol tried not to look surprised. It was a random thought and she had only been joking but she did find his willingness amusing. "Wait? What?"

Daryl nodded and moved toward the line that separated the wooden dock from water. "Well that's what you want."

Carol opened her mouth but before she could speak Daryl dove head first and disappeared into the water.

She dropped to her knees and tried to look through the unclear water. "Daryl?! Daryl?!" She grinned from ear to ear when he popped back up. "Damn it Daryl! I can't believe you did that!" Carol yelled in complete shock.

When he came up for air he was glad to see that she was smiling. "You said to." Daryl steadily swam his way back to her.

"I was joking." Carol knelt down and carefully reached over to sweep the boys wet hair out of his face. "You're going to be a mess."

"I know." Daryl agreed looking up at her from her place on the dock before the cold water got to him. "You gonna help get me outta here?"

"Guess so." Carol stood and held out her hand for her boyfriend.

Daryl reached his hand out for her meeting her halfway. When he grabbed her hand, his grip was tight. For a moment Carol looked helpless as she noticed the smirk that changed the expression on his face from amused to mischievous. Before she could plead for him not to, Daryl pulled her toward the water and she went falling in.

Moments later Carol had ascended up from beneath the water. "I can't… believe you… you did that!" She said through shaky breaths as her body went into shock at the vast temperature change.

Daryl smirked and held her close to him. "S'what you get." He stated laughingly.

Carol couldn't help but laugh too as she held onto the collar of his shirt. "You're very comfortable for… for someone who never got… got a yes." She managed to say as slyly as she could through her shivering and chattering teeth.

Daryl took his focus off of trying to get the both of them out of the lake and looked at Carol with a raised brow. She never did say she'd go back out with him. "How 'bout you say yes an' I won't leave you in here." He dipped his head under the water and when he came back up he shook his hair out of his face sending water in all directions.

Carol screamed and splashed water at him. She took a few paddles away from him so that she was safe. "You wouldn't dare leave me." She stated knowingly.

"Fine." Daryl grumbled. "Have it your way." He took in a breath of air and went back under the water. He swam toward her and pulled himself up so that he was face to face with her. "Be with me, _again_?" Though he was in freezing water he could still feel the burning heat of his neck that spread to his face.

"Alright." Carol wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. He smiled into the kiss and cupped her face with his hands.

He liked being who he was with her, even if that meant he'd spend the next year convincing the county police of his town that he was different.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"What took so long?" Tara directed her question towards two of her teammates who were just now showing up to the games. "And why weren't you guys at breakfast?"

"Lost track of time." Daryl answered then noticed the way Kelly was staring at him and Carol. She had a dumb grin on her face and when he followed her gaze it landed on his hand that was intertwined with Carol's. He cleared his throat. "Did we miss something?"

"No - but did _we_ miss anything?" Lori questioned with a smile that quickly turned into a smirk. "Those weren't the clothes you left the cabin with this morning, Carol."

Carol just blinked. Her team was impossible. She could feel Daryl squeeze her hand a little tighter letting her know he was uncomfortable so she forced a smile to the others. "What is it that we're playing today?"

"Glad you asked." Abraham finally spoke up. His team sure knew how to make things awkward "Dodge Ball, it should be fun getting to hit those little shi-"

"We get it, Abe." Rosita quickly interrupted before any foul language was used.

"Sorry." He muttered. The grown man then shifted uncomfortably at the sight of the other team coming their way. "Speak of the devil and her demons."

"I'm sick of these little meet ups- or whatever you wanna call 'em." Maggie shook her head. "It makes me kinda hate them." She said then smiled her thanks to Glenn when he squeezed her shoulder and rubbed her back soothingly. He always knew how to make her feel a little better.

"Don't think about it too much, Mag." Rick assured though he kept his eyes on a particular member of the other team.

That member of the Terminus team crooked a smile and walked up to him. "Rick."

"Gareth." Rick - not wanting to and without any expression on his face - acknowledged the other boy.

Gareth smirked. "What, no warm welcoming hugs?"

Rick made a face and looked to Shane for assistance.

"Dude, keep yer hands to yourself." Shane huffed in disgust.

"You know what I meant." Gareth looked back at them with the same amount of disgust.

"I'm gonna grab some water bottles." Maggie told her nearby teammates as she turned to walk away. She wasn't about to stand in the war created by her team and her competitors while they cursed one another til a referee grabbed them for their game.

"Nice, I didn't know your team had a water girl." Jessie's tone was anything but sincere.

Maggie turned back with a raised brow. "Wow, Lori was right, you're as fake on the inside as you are on the out."

Jessie gritted her teeth and took a step toward the country girl, who stood her ground. Before anyone could do anything Lori moved to Maggie's aid. "There's a lot of energy right here, let's use that on the game!" She flashed a grin and pulled Maggie back by the shoulders.

"I don't like that girl." Maggie crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed.

"I know-but you have to tell me! How did it feel to say that to her?!" Lori asked as her brows sewed together in an admirable gaze.

While Kelly and Michonne couldn't help but laugh til they were begging for air, Abraham fought with Dawn.

"Just remember, Abraham, my team has more males than yours." She voiced in her usual snobbish way.

Abraham furrowed a brow and shrugged. "And that matters to me because?"

"Hmm, guess it doesn't matter. I just wanted to remind you." Dawn pursed her lips with a gleam of pridefulness in her eye.

"That doesn't concern me none." Abe assured. "N' quit being so arrogant and opinionated. My girl's play better than your boys on any given day."

Dawn pouted. "After all these years you've managed to remain a hypocrite. Guess some things never change."

Abe puffed out a laugh. "Tell that to my girlfriend." Abraham nodded to Rosita, who was standing with Milton.

"You're… you're with Rosita?" Dawn seemed a little caught off guard as she blinked a few times but quickly recomposed herself. "I think I'll pray for her instead." She sneered before turning quickly and walked away.

"And how has your day been Milton?" Rosita smiled to the fellow camp leader.

The man winced. "Eh- Dawn said I shouldn't interact in a conversation with you anymore, not until after summer at least."

Rosita's mouth fell agape. "You're twenty-seven years old, Milton." She stated.

"Team Terminus and team Walking Dead?" A referee called out as everyone stopped their side conversations and gave the woman their full attention. "Follow me and we'll get started on your game." She announced.

Everyone did as told. The referee had taken the two teams to an outside basketball court. The court was covered with a soft blue mat and along the center there were eight balls aligned neatly and ready for the game. Each team took their place on opposite sides of the court and when they were set the referee started the game with a blow of a whistle.

Shane, Rick, Glenn, Daryl and Tara broke into a sprint toward the middle of the court to retrieve as many dodge balls as possible.

"Woah, we got some brave ones, huh?" Lori looked over to Kelly, who nodded as they both stood and watched the race toward the center of the court.

Rick slowed himself as he neared half court and without wasting any time he snatched two dodge balls and threw one back to Michonne.

"Maggie, here!" Shane tossed a dodge ball to his teammate who quickly caught it and moved toward the borderline of her team's side.

Tara got ahold of a ball and used it as a shield to block the first throw of the game. When she lowered the ball from her face she was shocked as to who had thrown it. "Alisha?!" The other girl just smirked and gave her a wink before focusing back on the game. "She's dead to me." Tara narrowed her eyes.

Carol walked forward a bit to scope out who had a dodge ball. "Alright, it's safe to take a step forward." She looked back at Kelly and Lori who hadn't moved from their starting points.

"How can you be so sure?" Lori questioned.

"Because most of our team is already in the front and they are more likely to get hit before us." Carol explained.

"That's a good point." Kelly turned to Lori as the two nodded and took exactly three steps away from the boundary line.

Carol smiled at the two before starting a slight jog to where the rest of her team was.

"Rick!" Michonne called out as the boy looked in front of him and saw a red dodge ball flying at his head. Quickly he dropped to his knees allowing Michonne to catch the ball which got Jessie, the one who threw the ball, out.

Rick got up and high-fived Michonne. "We make a good team, if you ask me." He smiled.

"I'll never doubt us." She smiled back then went to the half court to try and get more of the other team out.

Shane launched ball after ball to the other side until one finally hit Andrea's leg. "Hey, don't be so disappointed! It's not like you were playing anyway!" He yelled out.

Maggie's gaze fell on Pete as she searched out who to hit on the opposing team. Unfortunately, Pete caught it in his arms. Maggie's mouth fell agape.

"Am I out?" She turned to Daryl, who dreadfully nodded. Slowly the girl walked off the court and on to the side were Abraham tried to give her encouraging words.

Daryl took his eyes off Maggie before they widened at the sight of a fast approaching ball. He did a tuck and roll to dodge the ball. "Glenn, to your right!" He shouted as he teammate, who was holding a ball, noticed the perfect opportunity.

Glenn released the ball from his grip as it smacked into Nick's stomach and fell to the ground.

"Nice!" Daryl high-fived Glenn.

Lori counted five balls that she had to dodge all within a minute and for a moment she wondered if she had been wearing a huge target sign on her. "Why did we decide to come up here again?" The question was directed at Kelly but when Lori turned to look at her friend she was mortified to find that Kelly wasn't by her side anymore. Instead Kelly was standing off to the side near Maggie. "Kelly! What are you doing?!"

"I got out!" The girl called back, looking a little too relieved.

Lori huffed and found refuge behind Shane.

"Here Lori." Shane tossed her a ball.

"No thanks." She tossed it back.

Shane furrowed a brow and shrugged as he managed get out of the way of a few flying balls. As his team mate - that stayed awfully close to him - repeated his moves, he finally realized what Lori was doing. "Stay close n' don't get in the way." He sighed then threw another ball to the other side at his opponents.

Carol had been given a ball by Michonne and after studying the way Michonne threw the ball she decided to repeat the motion just as a practice throw - though someone's screams scared her and she released the ball mid-throw and it went flying. Carol stood in shock and her mouth fell agape when the soft felt ball crashed into one of her competitor's shoulder.

"I've been trying to get him out this whole time!" Daryl jogged to Carol with a grin on his face as he watched Ed leave the court. "How'd ya do it?" He asked in amusement.

"Honesty… I wasn't even trying." Carol said through a stunned laugh as Daryl kissed her forehead then went to Tara's aid.

"Gosh, they're out for blood." Tara huffed then drop kicked a ball to the other side. "Little brats!" She yelled in frustration while jumping over two balls that had been aimed and simultaneously thrown at her.

"They're jus' tryna wear you down, don't let 'em." Daryl said as he grabbed a ball and pitched it with all the muscles in his arm.

Tara watched as Enid caught Daryl's ball. Tara cringed and slowly looked at the shocked boy beside her. "Thanks for the advice." She carefully stated then used him as a human shield before joining Michonne, who was further down the court.

"Shane, Watch it!" Lori screamed in panic as she pushed Shane in the way of a ball that hit his shoulder before hitting the ground.

"Lori what the heck!? I wasn't even in the way of that before you pushed me!" Shane looked dangerously at his teammate.

"I'm sorry, I panicked!" Lori bit her finger before she ducked as a ball flew past her head and hit Rick's chest. "Oh no." Lori gasped.

"Congratulations, you just got two of your own team mates out." Shane bitterly stated.

Lori looked just as shocked as Rick. "The second time wasn't my fault!" She tried to argue as the two walked off the court.

The game continued for some time all while the number of players on the court became less, mostly from the Walking Dead team. Glenn found himself on the court with Michonne and Lori as the rest of his team resided on the boundary line.

"What are we gonna do?" Lori asked her two team mates.

"As long as you stop sacrificing your team mates, I think we might be able to catch up to the other team." Glenn stated.

"Glenn, there is six of them, three of us." Lori pointed out.

"Just keep your eyes open for a shot." Michonne spoke up as she fiercely studied the movements of her competitors. "We've got a chance." She assured.

"Glenn, look." Lori secretly nudged her head to where Alisha was. "She's open… right?" She whispered as he nodded and looked at Michonne.

Michonne furrowed a brow. "Why do I have to take the shot?" She whispered back as everyone who watched the game wondered why there was so much whispering between the three.

"Fine." Glenn sighed then threw the ball that he had been carrying as it hit Alisha before it bounced off her and hit Gabriel as well.

Glenn high-fived his two team mates as the rest of them went wild on the side lines.

Michonne was happy for all of three seconds before she realized why they hadn't been shooting dodge balls to the other side one after the other and the look on Glenn's face told her that he had realized the same thing.

"Why are they smiling?" Lori noticed the way her competitors lips were curved up. "They do know that we got them out right?

"Yeah they know." Michonne nodded. "They also know that that was the last ball we had." She bit her lip and ignored her other teammates who tried giving advice.

Glenn noticed the way the other team held the dodge balls in their hands as they all began making the same movement. "We're screwed." He breathed as they were bombarded with foam-filled dodge balls.

Michonne was hit more than once and as quick as it started was as quick as it ended. Michonne looked at her two teammates. "At least we didn't end the game like complete losers." She shrugged.

Glenn rubbed a hand over his face. "If only the game was over..." He looked over at Lori, who seems to be on the verge of tears.

Michonne looked from Lori to Glenn then back to Lori. "Lori… please don't tell me you hid behind Glenn."

"Well I wasn't going to risk getting hit in the face." Lori testified.

"Well, you're the last one standing now." Glenn mentioned.

Lori nodded. "I know." She said then watched as the two joined the rest of her team on the sidelines, they all looked back at her in fear. She sighed and moved her gaze to the stand where the referee had a timer that counted down the time to the end of the game. "Survive for four more minutes… that doesn't sound too bad." Lori said aloud to herself.

The next four minutes seemed like a lifetime for Lori as she dodged ball after ball. She wasn't too exhausted by the end of it since she used a lot of her cheer moves to save herself from getting hit. She even threw a few balls over to the other side and surprisingly got Gareth out.

Though Terminus won the game, Abraham was still proud of Lori for not giving in and so were the rest of her team.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

It was three days later.

Michonne looked at the trees that were surrounding her. They were tall and all looked similar. "Rick, we're going to get lost if we go any farther." She expressed, trying her hardest to not sound concerned.

"You worry too much." Rick stopped in front of her and locked his fingers with her's before pressing a kiss on the back of her hand.

Michonne closed her eyes and smiled. She lightly laughed and when she opened her eyes back up a set of blue ones greeted her. "Fine but if we get lost, I'll blame you." Her voice was as soft as the cool breeze.

"It's not an adventure til you get lost once or twice- or maybe a lotta times." Rick joked and chuckled when Michonne widened her eyes to the last part. "I wouldn't let something happen to you. I promise." He assured before continuing further into the woods.

Michonne bit her lip. It amazed her at how different she and Rick were. He was a 'go with the flow' guy and she was a 'make a plan and stick to it' girl but that's what made them work. Slowly he helped her come out of her comfort zone and she would generally help him in the long run. He was good for her and she loved how careful he was whenever they went on an 'adventure' together.

"This tree looks great to climb." Rick thought aloud with clear admiration.

"I bet I could beat you up it." Michonne said teasingly, though there was a hint of competitiveness in her voice.

"Oh, I don't think-" Rick began only to stop short as he started sprinting after Michonne. She had raced to the tree without warning and pulled herself up onto the lowest branch in her reach. "You're cheating!" Rick said through a quick breath as he hoisted himself onto a different tree branch.

"You're only saying that 'cause you're losing!" Michonne poked fun at Rick only because she managed to remain in the lead. She quickly navigated her steps as each branch took her up higher with Rick not far behind.

The pair continued to race up the large tree and even though they both talked smack the whole way up, Rick made it a point to keep reminding Michonne to be careful and to watch her step. He knew she wasn't a spontaneous person - not that that was a bad thing - but he felt lucky to be with someone who was willing to do exciting things with him.

"Ha!" Rick jumped onto the same branch that Michonne has been stuck on. "I caught you." His voice was soothing as he rested his back against the main wooden structure of the tree and slid an arm around Michonne's torso and when his hand met her's they locked fingers. He kept his other hand gripped on a smaller branch that was just above his head, then he looked at their view.

"This is as high as we can get." Michonne said before she rested the back of her head against Rick's chest and looked out to the mountains. The sun was slowly disappearing behind them and the sky held an intense orange with soft purple clouds that hovered just above the sun creating rays of light that was breathtaking.

"It's perfect up here." Rick hesitated before he kissed Michonne's neck and she couldn't help but flinch.

She cursed herself for being ticklish before she heard Rick lightly chuckle. "It's not funny." She pretended to pout.

"You're right. It's not…" He agreed. "Because now I know your weak spot." He laughed into the back of her shoulder when he felt her elbow go into his stomach.

She closed her eyes and smiled. It _was_ perfect. It was perfect being with him in that moment. She bit back her nerves and smiled. "I'm glad I'm here with you, y'know?"

Rick nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else either." He kept his hold on her tight and couldn't fight the way he was feeling.

Over the past five and a half weeks he had known Michonne he had thought about her non-stop. To feel so uncomfortably comfortable with someone was mind boggling- it was something he couldn't explain. He bit down on his inner lip and the silence became too loud for him. Before he could concentrate on his thoughts he took a deep breath in. "I think I love you." He breathed out.

Michonne's eyes widened from their once dreamy state and for a second she choked on absolutely nothing. She could faintly hear her heart pound against her chest. She grabbed a hold of the smaller branch above her and carefully turned so that she was facing him. He looked scared in a way and she was too but she put her own nerves a side and smiled. "I think I love you too."

Rick's brows raised. He didn't say another word - not that he had a choice, he felt like his throat was closing in on him. He glanced at her lips and quickly pecked them as he held her waist tighter to him.

Michonne bit her lip to stop herself from smiling but she failed completely. She felt the need to avoid Rick's eyes so she wouldn't get lost in them and for the first time she looked down and realized just how far up they were.

Rick took his eyes off of Michonne and noticed that more of the sun had vanished behind the mountains. "We should get down." He finally spoke.

Michonne looked back up at him when he said the exact words that she was going to say. "I really do love you." She laughed and kissed the side of his face.

Grabbing his hand tight, Michonne moved to step on a lower branch and after a few minutes of climbing down from the tree they had made it safely to the ground. Michonne dusted herself off and smiled at Rick. "I told you I'd beat you."

Rick chuckled. "You won… but I don't feel like a loser." He stated and kissed her cheek. He thought it was cute how she'd get shy and look at the ground. He grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction of the cabins before something caught his eye. "Hey, wait, look at this." He moved closer to the tree that they had previously climbed. "There's a carving."

"What's it say?" Michonne took a step closer.

"Says, D plus A." Rick answered before furrowing a brow. "Looks kinda old too."

"D plus A?" Michonne repeated in question. When Rick nodded she went over to have a look for herself. " _D plus A_? Like... Dawn plus Abraham?" Michonne thought aloud as the two stared wide-eye at one another in shock at her assumption before they both burst into laughter. "There's no way, they hate each other too much." Michonne laughed into her hand.

"Yeah… strange to even think that there could have been a time where they got along." Rick agreed then shrugged it off. "C'mon, let's go back to the trail before it gets dark." He said grabbing Michonne's hand for the second time then lead the way out of the woods.

* * *

 ** _Ah, young love! Hope you enjoyed and we got some Glaggie next chap! ;)_**

 ** _Review. Favorite. Follow._**

 ** _...Until Next Time..._**


	18. Chapter 17: Done Wasting Time

**Chapter 17: Done Wasting Time**

Shane walked alongside Glenn as they made their way back to the cabin. It was breakfast time and Shane had just finished his last shift in the kitchen for the summer. "So, how'd it go today?" He asked the boy next to him.

"Alright, I think I'm finished actually." Glenn answered.

"Does that mean you can tell me what you've been doing?" Shane questioned with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"No, I have to put it all together." Glenn said before immediately cringing.

Shane furrowed a brow. "Are you… you makin' something?"

"I've already said too much." Glenn shook his head and walked up the steps to the front door of their cabin and went inside.

"No, you haven't said enough actually." Shane bitterly stated before walking in behind Glenn and closing the door.

"Said enough of what?" Daryl asked with his usual grumbling voice as he slowly put on his shoes.

"Nothing, where's Rick?" Shane looked around the room.

"He's takin' his sweet time in the bathroom." Abraham answered as he got ready for the day as well.

"Rick! Get out here!" Shane called out before taking a seat on his bed.

Minutes later Rick came out of the bathroom and smiled to the guys. "Morning."

"Yeah, morning." Abraham said, a little irritated as he brushed by the boy and into the bathroom.

Daryl eyed Rick - maybe it was too early for him but he didn't understand how someone could be so full of life that early in the morning. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." Rick shrugged, though he was not able to shake the smile off his face.

Shane lifted a brow. "Alright then, what was Kelly and Tara whispering about this morning in the kitchen?"

Rick furrowed a brow. "How am I supposed to know?"

"How? Because when I asked them they said I should come talk to you." Shane explained.

Rick put his hands up in surrender. "Listen, I don't know why they'd say that, okay? Besides, it's Tara and Kelly. They were probably messin' with you." He shrugged.

"They said something happened yesterday with you and Michonne." Shane stated and in an instant Rick's face went completely blank. Shane took note of how his friend's face went from happy to nothing. "Did you two… break up?" Shane carefully asked his best friend.

Rick shook his head. "What?! No-"

"Listen, it's _fine_ , Rick. We're here for you man." Shane assured.

"You and Michonne broke up?!" Glenn questioned, his eyes going wide. "That's horrible."

Daryl couldn't believe his ears. "Sorry ta hear it man."

"Michonne and I didn't break up!" Rick reassured. "Her and I are good - in fact - we're more than good, we're-we're great!" He ended with a short laugh.

Shane looked at his friend with pride. "You don't gotta be brave in front of us, Rick. Breaking up with someone is hard."

Rick took a step closer to Shane. "I. Am. Still. With. Michonne. Michonne. Is. Still. My. Girlfriend." He slowly stated.

Daryl and Glenn glanced at one another before Shane came back in with the questions. "Then what were the girls talkin' 'bout? What happened yesterday?"

Rick sighed in defeat with a shake of his head. "I told Michonne that… that I loved her." He came clean.

"You did what?" Glenn beat the others to the question.

"Why?" Daryl questioned as he felt fully awake in a split second.

Shane felt completely taken aback as he held a hand to his mouth. He stood up and walked to Rick then placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "That's why she broke up with you, isn't it?"

Rick shrugged Shane's hand off his shoulder. "For the last time we didn't break up!" Rick yelled, a bit irritated before adding, "She actually said it back."

Now Shane's face went blank. "Wait… really? That's great!"

"Yeah, thanks for all the faith you had in me." Rick shook his head over how ridiculous and dramatic Shane was at times.

"She said she loved you after you told her you loved her?" Daryl questioned and Rick nodded slowly in reply. "Well how'd you say it?"

"We were looking at the sky and I kinda just said, I think I love you." Rick simply shrugged.

"You _think_? Well do you love her or not?!" Shane asked with the need to know.

"Ye- _yes_. I was just nervous." Rick confessed. "It felt right, though." He added hoping his answer would satisfy the guys.

"If it felt right- then that's all that matters." Daryl openly stated as the others looked at him in surprise. With that Daryl decided it was best to not speak for the rest of this conversation. He blamed his new 'sensitive side' on Carol and he mindfully noted that he would put an end to it before he became an overly emotional wreck.

"I'm with Daryl. If you're happy, so am I bro." Shane stated.

"Yeah, I think it's really great, Rick." Glenn voiced.

"Thanks you guys." Rick felt at ease as he flopped down on his bed.

"So, you think Maggie knows about this too?" Glenn questioned hoping it was not too random of a question.

"Maybe, why?" Shane focused on his younger teammate.

"What if Maggie expects me to say I love her too? Or what if I say it to her and she thinks that I'm only saying it because Rick said it to Michonne." Glenn fidgeted with his hands.

"That could be a problem." Shane agreed with a nod. "I wouldn't worry 'bout it too much."

"S'not like she don't already know." Daryl smirked when he saw Glenn go completely pale.

"You- you think she might know?" Glenn wondered, feeling a whole new wave of emotions. Could he be in love too?

"Know what?" Abraham asked as he walked back in.

"Rick told Michonne he loved her." Shane blurted out as Daryl and Glenn nodded to his words.

Abraham furrowed a brow. "Really? Why?"

Rick just shut his eyes and threw a pillow over his face.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Maggie was confused. Her thoughts were all jumbled and she couldn't make sense of the feelings bubbling up inside her. And the reason for all this confusion? _Stupid Rick._

To be fair, Rick wasn't stupid but he was definitely the cause of her current problem.

Earlier today, Maggie was informed, as well as the rest of the girls, that Rick told Michonne he loved her. The two had been dating for almost the same amount of time as Glenn and herself, yet Rick had told Michonne that he loved her! After only a few weeks! Was that even possible? How does one know if they're in love with the person they're with anyway?

Maggie now had a lot of questions, _thanks to Rick_.

Maggie sighed and shook her head. She had no idea if she was in love with Glenn or not. She did have really strong feelings for him, she knew that for sure. What she didn't know for sure was what Glenn's feelings were for her. Well, she knew he had a major crush on her but did it go any deeper than that? Did he love her?

 _Stupid Rick._ Maggie repeated in her head for the second time that morning. She was flustered over her own thoughts and now because of him she was questioning her relationship with Glenn.

 _Why couldn't things be simpler, like back on the farm?_ The young teen mused to herself as she left her cabin to meet up with Glenn.

As she walked down a trail she continued to ponder. If she knew Glenn as well as she did, she'd know that he was thinking about this too. She knew that he would be questioning his relationship with her right now… and, again, this was all thanks to _Rick. Stupid Rick._

Maggie could feel herself get nervous as she neared the spot where Glenn would usually meet her. All this thinking was causing her to have one great big headache. Did she love Glenn or not? She definitely loved being around him and she loved the way he treated her… did that count?

All of her crazy thoughts and unsure feelings aside, Maggie was damn for certain that she didn't want Glenn to tell her he loved her if he wasn't actually in love with her.

Maggie took a breath in and cleared her mind just as her eyes landed on Glenn. She felt instantly better seeing him and it put her anxious nerves to rest.

Glenn smiled at Maggie as she walked over to him. He was nervous to see her now that he had realized something that morning.

In the morning he found out that Rick had told Michonne he loved her. So what did he realize from that? Well, he realized that from the second his eyes were set on Maggie an overwhelming feeling came over him. A feeling that hasn't gone away since. He realized that she was always his first thought in the mornings and even his last thought before he fell asleep.

At first he didn't know what all of it meant but when it finally came to him, there was no way he could take the credit. It was truly all thanks to Rick. Glenn was in love with Maggie.

After possibly discovering the reason behind his true feelings Glenn began to question himself. _Am I too young for love? Is that even possible? Is it too soon? What if Maggie doesn't love me back? What if she thinks I say it 'cause Rick said it to Michonne? What if she thinks I don't love her?_

Glenn thought that it was best not to tell Maggie how he felt, not yet at least. He told himself to act as if he hadn't realized his true feelings - but now he was panicking. Maggie was making her way to him and he was so deep into his thoughts that he had forgotten his normal behavior around her.

Maggie smiled right back at her boyfriend. "Hey you." She greeted. "How's your mornin'?"

 _How_ _is_ _my morning? What would normal Glenn say?_ "Fine." He answered eagerly.

Maggie noticed how he hesitated to answer almost like he was thinking of what to say but quickly shrugged it off. "Well good. So where do you wanna go today?"

"Mm, I kinda just wanted to stay here and talk." Glenn shrugged.

Maggie studied the boy in front of her. Was he trying to get at something? Again she brushed it off. "I'd like that." She flashed him a smile and moved to sit on a bench. Great, now she was questioning his every action - this was too much.

Glenn took a seat next to Maggie as he questioned his every move. _Play it cool. Don't be in love for a moment_. "Man." The boy sighed. "I have such appreciation for mother nature." Glenn said as he looked around to the colorful shrubbery - surprised that those were the words he chose, because pointing out the flowers didn't already have 'I'm in love' written all over it.

Maggie looked around as well before her eyes focused back on Glenn. "Really?"

"Really. In the city there isn't much of this. Now it's everywhere I look." He huffed a laugh.

"Guess I'm used to seein' it all the time back home." Maggie began. "But that's what's crazy 'bout it. Right when you get used to it, it changes. The color and the detail, it never stays the same."

Glenn nodded to her words. She explained things in such a way that he could listen to her go on for hours. "Yeah, it's nice to just stop and look at what hasn't changed yet."

"Exactly." Maggie giggled.

He turned to her with a smile. "I love..." Here Glenn thought for a moment. He was so close to telling her but he couldn't bring himself to say it. "...the way you laugh."

Maggie's heart dropped for a second when Glenn paused and when he finished his sentence, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. But what did that mean? Was she secretly wanting him to say those three words to her? Did she love him? Maggie's cheeks flushed red - mostly because she had expected him to say something completely different. "Speakin' of love." Maggie slowly started. "You heard what Rick said to Michonne?"

Glenn swallowed hard. "Ye-yeah. I think it's great."

Maggie nodded quickly with a smile. "Yeah, me too."

"I mean they love each other and seem happy." He shrugged.

"Mhmm. Happy. I'm happy too!" Maggie nonchalantly threw out there.

"Oh yeah!" Glenn nodded as his palms became moist.

Maggie puffed out a laugh. "It's not like we _have_ to be in love with each other in order to be _happy_."

"For sure, like, I'm so happy!" Glenn laughed before rushing to add, "Not that I don't - _you know_."

Maggie was about to deliver another fake laugh before Glenn said he didn't- _He didn't what?!_ Did this mean he loved her?! A smile crept on her lips as she gazed at him. He was looking back at her and it was as if everything stopped for a moment.

The color and the detail of the trees and bushes blurred and faded and it seemed as if everything around them went dim as they focused on one another.

"You do?" Maggie broke the silence.

Glenn slowly nodded. "Well… yeah."

"M-me too." She smiled brightly at him.

"Cool." He smiled back.

"Yeah." She bit her lip. "Cool." _Huh, maybe Rick isn't all that stupid._

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Abraham was pumped. This was the final team game before the 'Ultimate Championship Games' that started next week. The game they would play today was a game he took very seriously. A game that they played every year as the last team game. A game that emphasized skill, teamwork and the will to succeed. A game that allowed the players to move, think and breathe as one. A game that looked like a war zone when it was being played. A game that he considered an art form. Today they would play American Football.

"Alright, gather around team." Abraham huddled up with his kids. "Today's a very big day for us."

"For us or for you?" Tara joked but noticed that Abraham didn't bother to laugh. "Sorry." She said quietly before shrugging at Kelly's and Michonne's raised eyebrows.

"Anyway, today we're playing football." He stated.

Lori raised a brow. "Come again?"

"Tackle football." Abraham restated. "N' I think you guys are gonna do great!"

Kelly laughed. "That's funny- for a second I thought you said _tackle_ football?" Again the girl laughed as the rest of her team stayed silent. Kelly's face dropped. "You're kidding me right?" When a few of her members shook their heads, she huffed. "So today is not only the last day of team games but it's the last day of my life! I haven't even met my little sister yet!"

"Yeah, I don't know about this." Michonne bit her lip.

"Mhm, Dawn's team kinda wants to kill us already. They're probably gonna go really hard on us." Maggie mentioned feeling concerned for herself and the rest of her team.

"We'll be right beside you guys." Rick spoke up. "We won't let something happen to any of you."

"Yeah." Daryl said before zoning out. How perfect was this? He'd get to forcefully take Ed down without any consequences.

"Nobody's gonna get past me." Tara smiled. This was the game she was waiting for all summer.

Abraham looked at the kids in front of him as a smile grew on his face. "That is just beautiful." He breathed feeling a wave of emotions pass through him.

Rosita eyed Abe for a moment. He was always emotional over the games towards the end of the year but unlike the other years he seemed more teary eyed than usual. "Okay, before this one starts sobbing." She stepped in nudging toward Abraham before continuing. "We'll have to fit all of you for helmets and pads."

"Why?" Lori asked out loud to anyone, really.

"So it could break your fall and you won't get hurt." Abraham answered.

"No, I meant why didn't I stop my mom from bringing me here." She stated as the other girls couldn't help but laugh.

"We'll be fine." Carol spoke up. "You just have to be faster than the person running after you."

"And stronger than the person tackling you." Kelly felt a shiver go up her spine.

"Like I'd let that happen." Shane smirked when he noticed that Kelly tried to hide her smile.

"That's what this game is about, being there for each other, teamwork. You guys are already so good at that. I'm really proud of all of you." Abraham said.

"Aww thanks!" Tara high-fived her leader. "We'll try not to let you down."

"But no promises." Carol quickly added in.

"Okay, we're one man short so we won't have a fifth linebacker- which isn't a big deal." Abe stated.

"What's our positions?" Glenn questioned.

"Alright, listen close. I want you, Rick, as Quarterback." He pointed to the boy who nodded. "Shane and Daryl; you are my offensive tackle, stop anyone from coming through. Tara you're my offensive guard - _don't_ let anyone get to Rick. Carol, you're the full back, you're also protecting Rick." Both girls nodded before he continued.

"Lori's center, you'll just be passing the ball back to Rick when he says hike. Maggie you're halfback, if Rick hands you the ball you look for an opening and run it for a touchdown. Michonne and Glenn you two are my wide receivers, you guys do the same, if Rick passes it to you you run it to the end zone. Kelly you're my tight end, you can run alongside Michonne and cover her when she has the ball."

"Sounds too simple." Kelly said skeptically.

"You'll do just fine." Abraham assured.

"Well isn't this cute." Dawn walked up to her rivals without her team.

"Just when I thought the day was starting on a good note too." Abraham shook his head.

"Spare me." She rolled her eyes. "God, I see you still wear that stupid shirt." She eyed Abe's T-shirt with pure hatred.

"Every year sweetheart." Abraham looked down at his worn out red shirt that he wore every year on the last team game for 'good luck'.

"Every year?" Glenn questioned.

"He's worn that since he was a camper here." Dawn answered.

"You both went to camp here?!" Kelly looked at her leader in shock.

"Yes, unfortunately this is where I met the spawn of Satan." Abraham nodded to Dawn as she pretended to laugh.

"Very funny, that's not how you always thought of me back then." Dawn deadpanned.

Rosita raised a brow and looked to Abraham, who shrugged it off.

Michonne slowly turned to look at Rick, who was already staring at her. Could it have been true? Rick was giving her a look and she was unsure of what he was trying to say so she looked back at the adults. "You and Dawn dated didn't you?" She blurted out as Rick slapped a hand to his forehead and Michonne winced at the can of worms she had just undoubtedly opened.

"What?" Abraham gasped - and if you asked Kelly, he was definitely over acting his 'shocked' face. "Where would you get an idea like that?" He laughed nervously.

"Did you?" Rosita questioned as her lips curled downward.

"Oh, you never told your girlfriend?" Dawn mused. "Well, I guess when you break-up with someone and not give them a reason, it's something you don't want to bring up." She coldly explained. "See the rest of you out on the field." She nodded to the kids then turned and left.

The group stayed quiet almost fearing the glare Rosita was giving their other leader.

"Real nice, Abraham." Rosita narrowed her eyes at the red-haired man as she tapped her foot in anger. "No puedo creer que este hombre." She whispered under her breath in Spanish which meant 'I can't believe this man'.

Abraham sighed. "Rose it wasn't-"

"Not now." Rosita glanced to the kids. "Let's go get you guys ready." Everyone just nodded and followed her.

Abraham sighed and slowly followed after his team as well.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Maggie stood in the back field with the girls. "I can barely see out of this dang helmet." She stated as she tried to position it on her head the right way.

Michonne let out a weak laugh. "Please, I barely have enough space in here."

Carol shook her head. "We look ridiculous."

"Yeah but on the bright side, these pants make my legs look good." Kelly stated.

"How can you tell? Your thighs have padding on them." Tara laughed as Kelly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Oo, look." Carol whispered to the girls. "There are the boys." They watched as the guys put on their helmets and huddled into a circle.

"What are they doing?" Lori asked trying not to focus on the fact that her head was stuck inside a tiny enclosed space that was supposed to keep her safe when in reality it was only giving her an anxiety attack.

"They're probably just making plays." Tara answered.

"Shouldn't we be there too?" Michonne questioned.

"Nah, they'll tell us before we play." Tara assured.

"Well, we got some time to kill." Carol looked over to the scoreboard where it counted down the time until the game. "Should we mess with the guys?" She threw it out there and the girls immediately agreed.

"But what could we do?" Maggie questioned.

Kelly thought for a second. "Let's harass them."

Carol furrowed a brow but went with it. "I can start it off then you guys jump in."

Lori laughed. "This should go well."

Carol rolled her eyes and turned to look back to the guys before cupping her hands in front of her helmet. "Hey Daryl!" She called out. "Nice butt!"

The boy slowly turned around with a furrowed brow only to see his girlfriend holding a 'thumbs-up' to him.

Rick began laughing. "That's all you man." He patted Daryl's back before he heard Michonne's voice.

"Your's is nice too, Rick!" She yelled out.

Rick stood silent as Shane was now laughed uncontrollably.

"This is why Maggie is great." Glenn began, enjoying the look of embarrassment on the two's faces. "She would _never_ -"

"Aww look at _my_ Glenn! You're such a cutie in your lil' football outfit baby!" Maggie shouted out as a few nearby campers looked their way.

"What's gotten into them?" Glenn questioned half afraid for his girlfriend while his ears burned. "And this is not an outfit. It's a uniform."

"You think they're running out of air in those helmets?" Shane questioned as he stared at the way the girls were laughing.

"I hope so." Daryl muttered.

"Look at them." Tara laughed. "They looked so confused!"

"Alright let's go to them." Kelly stated as she began to walk to the boys in an odd fashion.

"Well here they come." Rick said before furrowing a brow. "What the hell is that?" He questioned as he stared at the weird way the girls were walking like they were _trying_ to walk seductively in their padding.

"They're tryna mess with us." Shane shook his head.

"Whatever they say, just go with it." Glenn told the others as they nodded.

"Hey boys." Tara nodded and winked at them.

Shane glanced at Rick before looking back to the girls. "Heeey." He said in a deeper than normal but smooth voice as he winked back.

Tara cringed. "Okay! I'm out." She moved back with her hands up.

Just then the sound of the buzzer on the scoreboard went off. "Hmm, guess we have to go back to being serious." Carol pouted.

"Thank God." Daryl sighed in relief.

Maggie rolled her eyes at how relieved the boys looked as they turned to walk toward the center of the field. "Well I still think Glenn's a cutie." She said before slapping the padding on Glenn's butt.

Instantly Glenn halted as everyone looked at him and Maggie in shock. Cautiously he turned to face his girlfriend and grabbed her shoulder pads. "You-you're out of your mind." He stated as if he were a doctor diagnosing her.

Maggie giggled. "We win!" She said looking to the girls before they broke into a dance.

"You can't out-weird us suckers!" Tara chanted.

"How is that something to be proud of?" Rick questioned.

Daryl shook his head. "Jus' let 'em have this."

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The two teams came together on the field. After flipping a coin everyone got in their positions having team Terminus start off with the ball.

Rick stood in between Shane and Daryl on the line of scrimmage. "Keep your head clear and stay focused."

Shane nodded before looking over Rick to see Daryl who was face to face with Ed. "Oh no." He breathed just as the whistle blew.

Daryl payed no attention to anything around him but the boy in front of him. As the whistle blew he immediately went crashing into Ed. Their was a bit of struggle between the two but as they both began to fall over, Daryl ended up on top.

Quickly Daryl got to his feet and looked around for any of his teammates in need of help.

Michonne had pushed Jessie down with her shoulder before spotting the player with the ball, it was Gabriel and he was going to pass right by her.

After quickly having a heart attack, Michonne looked at Kelly who stood not too far away. The blond was trying her best to look busy but Michonne saw right through it. "Kelly!" She called out and when her friend turned to her she nodded to the fast approaching boy.

"Together!" Kelly yelled as Michonne took off in a sprint at the same time she did.

Gabriel noticed both players of the other team charging toward him from both sides. There was nowhere for him to escape so he shut his eyes and prayed.

Both girls came up on the boy as they put their shoulders together, whacking Gabriel to the ground when they ran into him.

The whistle blew again and a man holding a wide yellow pole rushed along the side of the field till he matched his spot where the football layed on the thirty yard line.

"That's my girls!" Abraham hollered as he clapped. "Did you see that Rosita?!"

"Yes, I have eyes." She sarcastically told the man beside her before screaming how proud she was to her girls.

The next three plays team Walking Dead had managed to not let Terminus passed the ten point line - which meant it was a turn over and now Walking Dead had the ball.

"Here comes the harder part." Lori fussed as she got in her offense position.

"You got this." Shane patted her back before handing her the football.

Again the teams got into their positions.

Rick felt the pressure, he was nervous to start the play - mostly he was nervous for his team mates.

Everything seemed to slow down for a moment as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before yelling out hike. Immediately he saw his best friend take down Gareth before finding someone else to stop.

Rick quickly refocused himself. He looked down the field and instantly made his pass. With his right hand he tightened his grip around the ball before letting it fly in a spiral formation down the field.

Glenn looked over his shoulder and readied himself to catch the football before it landed in his arms. With that, he picked up his pace. He could hear the loud pumping of his blood in his ears as Adrenalin filled his body. From the corner of his eye a figure grew and before Glenn could focus on it, a body came crashing down on him.

Ed pulled himself off of Glenn, leaving the boy sprawled on the ground groaning. Michonne and Shane quickly came to his aid.

"Nice man! You picked up fifteen yards for us!" Shane pulled his friend to his feet. "We got a first down!"

"Where am I?" Glenn moaned.

Michonne's eyes went wide as she looked to Shane. "I don't think that's good."

Shane laughed nervously, patting Glenn's back. "You'll be alright."

Everyone got back in place and with Shane's assistance, Glenn eventually found his spot on the line of scrimmage as well.

Rick made sure his team was ready before he bent in position ready for Lori to toss the ball back to him. "Hike!" He shouted before the football came into him grip. He looked down the field once again, this time his eyes were set on Michonne and for a moment he hesitated. He saw the way Glenn had been tackled and didn't want Michonne to get hurt. He swallowed hard and moved his eyes across the field before throwing the ball in Kelly's direction instead.

Kelly's eyes widened. She had been running in between two Terminus players and there was no chance that she'd be successful in catching the flying ball - and though she knew absolutely nothing about football, she did know that Rick had just made a horrible play.

In an effort to catch the ball Kelly stopped and turned with her arms out before her, prepared to catch the ball. She could almost feel the ball landing in her arms but as quick as she felt that sensation was as quick as it had been ripped away.

Alisha jumped out of nowhere in front of Kelly snatching the ball from the warm air.

Before Kelly could even blink, Alisha was running in the opposite direction. The girl passed Lori, escaped Rick and Shane who both lunged for her, and even dodged Daryl who tried grabbing her to bring her down.

It seemed to have turned into a race as everyone ran after Alisha, unfortunately, no one was fast enough.

Alisha received the first touchdown of the game by an interception. Rick shook his head knowing he should have just passed it to Michonne yet he was too relieved that Kelly didn't get hurt since he was willing to put her in harm's way rather than his girlfriend.

Now the two teams stood on the far ends of the field. Andrea waited for Aiden to steady the ball before she ran swinging her foot just before making contact with the leather ball and sending it flying toward their opponents.

Daryl studied the ball, cautiously moving forward a step or two before the ball fell perfectly into his hands.

"Keep me covered." He yelled to his team before picking up the pace. "I'm gonna go for it." He muttered.

They all moved as one doing their best to keep Daryl blocked from being tackled.

Shane and Rick stayed in front pushing others away like they were repelling insects.

Daryl kept his eyes set on the end zone but couldn't help to smirk at the sight of Ed charging straight for him. With each step, Daryl's pace picked up and soon he was outside of the bubble his team had created around him. He tucked the ball closer to his chest and tightened his muscles as he rammed into Ed causing Ed to tumble to the ground before he could even try to stop Daryl.

The sound of Abraham's cheering filled Daryl's ears and he couldn't control the smile that spread across his lips. For a moment it felt like he was playing for his high school football team and his dad was cheering for him in the stands. It was a strange feeling to have since he knew he would never truly have a moment like that but right then, it came pretty damn close.

Daryl bit back his smile as he made it to the end zone and scored some points for his team, tying up the game. He quickly looked to the sidelines where loud screaming was heard only to see Abraham and Rosita, who both stood - jumping really - cheering for him. He shook his head, half embarrassed.

The teams were on opposite sides of the field again and it was their turn to kick off. Carol was their designated kicker, the only reason for that decision was nothing other than the fact that Kelly had dropped on her hands and knees begging Abraham to not give her that position.

Carol took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves as Daryl got the ball to balance on its kickstand. After a moment Daryl gave her a nod before quickly moving back. Carol nodded back and broke into a light jog before swinging her leg out in front of her.

The ball swung off the stand and flew as if it were doing cart wheels. Every player seemed to watch the ball before they all took off, hoping to be the one to catch the ball.

Shane watched as the ball landed in Aiden's hands making him Shane's target.

Surpassing the girls on his team, Shane was determined to take down his opponent. He dodged Ed's horrible effort to stop him and waltzed passed Gabriel. Instinctively he tensed his muscles before driving himself into Aiden with his right shoulder knocking the boy off his feet and onto the ground.

The rest of the second quarter took a surprising turn. For Tara it was everything she'd dreamed of as she got her first tackle on Andrea, who had the ball and had stopped them from getting a first down. On the fourth down for Terminus, Ed hiked the ball and as he threw it to Pete, Carol jumped onto the boy bringing him down causing the pass to be incomplete which caused a turnover of the ball to the Walking Dead's team. Once Daryl explained what Carol had done the two joined together for a chest bump - which not even Daryl knew was coming until his girlfriend leaped into him bouncing off his chest. At the end of the quarter the score remained the same.

The third quarter went by quickly for the Walking Dead team. They had all been re-hydrated and rested during their half time break. They came back strong with Tara and Shane each making a touchdown, unfortunately Ed scored a touchdown as well. But seconds before the quarter ended Terminus got a very shocking touchdown by Gabriel - tying the game once more, leaving both teams with eighteen points.

It was now the end of the fourth quarter, neither team had scored another touchdown and Walking Dead was on the offense.

Rick took a deep breath and after Maggie gave him a nod, he yelled 'hike'. Lori flicked the ball back to Rick from between her legs before she felt the weight of someone fall over her.

Rick looked between Glenn and Michonne but neither were open. He was running out of time. Shane was doing his best to keep two linemen from getting beyond him but Gareth was already past Lori- who was now lying motionless on the ground. This was the last play and they only needed one touch down to win the game.

Rick fidgeted with the football in his hands trying to think fast. He took two swift steps back and looked to the girl now beside him. "Take it, Maggie, n' don't stop!" He ordered, tossing the ball to her.

Maggie's eyes widened. She had no idea how she was supposed run the ball but she just started running, tucking the ball tight to her chest. The helmet was so loose on her head that with every step it flopped around - needless to say - she could barely see where she was going.

Maggie screamed as a member from the other team dove in front of her. Without slowing down her pace, she jumped over the player. Her heart was pounding and she was close to crying.

She could feel the burn in her thighs as she ran like she never had before. She could see through the small gap in her helmet that she had run past a line where the turf turned a bright red and that's when she could hear screaming. Maggie looked back as she slowed down.

"You did it!" Shane came running to her and picked her up at her knees as he sat her on his shoulder.

The rest of the Walking Dead team came running up to Shane and Maggie as they all chanted something different.

Abraham came running up to his team as Rosita followed close behind. "You - you guys were just - and that pass was just - then Maggie was-"

"He's proud of you guys." Rosita cut him off. "So am I! You guys were amazing!" She said hugging Glenn and Carol, who were the closest to her.

Abe nodded. "We need to celebrate." He said as the kids' faces lit up.

"And rightfully so." The ref came over. "Your team won the team games against Terminus. It was six to four."

"That's awesome!" Michonne exclaimed hugging Kelly.

"I'll say." The ref smirked. "Your team just broke a four year streak that Terminus had. Congratulations."

Before the ref could leave Tara put her hand on his shoulder. "Can I watch?"

The man furrowed a brow. "Watch what?"

A smile grew on the girl's face. "Watch you deliver the news to the other team. I wanna see their faces when they find out they're losers." The man just shook his head and walked off.

Lori patted Tara's back as she pouted. "Maybe next year."

Abraham smiled. "Next year?" He lifted a brow.

"I said _maybe_." Lori stated. "I don't know if I could do all these sports again."

"That wouldn't matter, they switch the games up every year." Abraham assured.

"Yeeeah- that's not very comforting." Michonne cringed.

"Well I'm ready ta get this party started!" Shane voiced as the others agreed.

"You guys go ahead, I think I'm just gonna head back to the cabin and get some rest." Rosita said carefully. She didn't want to make it a big deal, but she wasn't up for celebrating.

"You sure?" Rick questioned his leader.

"Yeah… maybe I'll catch up with you guys later." The woman said before leaving her team as she made her way to her cabin.

"Alright, let's go get my champs some food." Abraham focused his attention back on his kids after watching as _she_ left. He knew she was upset but he didn't want his kids to pay too much attention to it. Not after their big win.

"We'll go get food, but you have to go after her." Carol voiced.

"What?" Abraham laughed. "C'mon she jus' needs some time."

"Abraham if you don't talk to her then I won't be able to eat and I'm _starving_." Michonne stated.

Abe wrinkled a brow. "Why won't you eat?"

"Because I feel partly responsible for all of this." The girl confessed.

"Well, you were the one who asked if Dawn and Abe dated." Kelly nodded.

"Not helping, Kel."

"Sorry." The blond put her head down.

"Ya'll really think I should talk to her… like… right now?"

"Yes. You can't put it off." Glenn spoke up. "Don't waste anymore time than you already have." He urged as the team nodded beside him.

"No more wasting time." Abraham nodded. "Thanks guys!" He said before jogging in the direction Rosita had gone.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Rosita laid on her bed staring at the roof in her cabin. She thought of all the times Dawn and Abraham fought and couldn't help but think that maybe she and Abraham would end up the same way. She felt like a horrible person just leaving her team after their well-fought victory but she just needed some silence.

She took a deep breath in and shut her eyes.

Barely a moment passed before there was a knock at the door. Rosita opened her eyes and turned her head just as she heard another knock.

Slowly she rose from her bed and began walking toward the door. Everyone in camp was out by the lake celebrating the final team games, so who could it be?

Just as she came closer, another knock was heard, as well as a voice.

"Rosita? Rose, c'mon, I know you're here."

Abraham.

Rosita stopped and folded her arms across her chest. "Go away." She called out - though her voice sounded nothing like her emotions - she was actually glad he was there but her voice sounded like she wanted nothing to do with him.

"No, I'm not leavin' Rose." Abraham called back.

Rosita shook her head. She didn't want to face him right now but strangely at the same time she wanted to be wrapped in his arms. "Well I'm not opening the door." She stubbornly let him know.

"You don't have to, just hear me out!" He pleaded.

Rosita looked at the clock on the wall. "You've got one minute."

"Me and Dawn dated when we were teens. She was the same as she is today - moody and bossy. She was controlling n' actually kinda scary." Abraham admitted. "I wasn't happy with her, Rosita, n' I never showed it. Breaking up with her took a good month for me to build up the courage."

Rosita held her hand to her forehead as she moved closer to the door and opened it. Her heart had already forgiven him before her head did. "If you did that to her, how do I know you won't do that to me? What if one day you're not happy with me?" She questioned to the man as she stared into his deep blue eyes.

Abraham shook his head. "Rosita, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Why? What makes me so different from her?" Rosita raised her voice.

Abraham collected himself for a moment before calmly speaking. "Rose, please-"

"No, Abraham! Tell me why." She demanded.

"Because with her I was a kid - I didn't know any better! And with you - I'm in love with _you_!" Abraham shouted to her. "You already know that though - it's no secret." He started and before he continued he took in a deep breath. "Me and you were meant to happen - I _believe_ that. It was you that helped me when I wasn't right at times. You showed me you cared - you showed me your heart… not many people do that but I got to see yours, n' it's damn beautiful. I could have never asked for anything like that."

"Abe, what does that even mean for you? For us? Because right now - I don't think we're on the same page."

"It means that this has been a long time coming. We do _everything_ together. We know each other's families. We've probably made every excuse there is, just to see each other - like taking this job as co-leaders for summer camp. We care about one another… and It's been five years, Rose. We have put off our _real_ feelings toward each other for _five whole years._ I'm done wastin' time n' I'm not gonna let my past ruin this amazing thing we've got."

Rosita nodded. "Well then I think we're on the same page." She smiled. "I let myself get angry before anything else. And you are right, we've been through everything together and I let my emotions get the best of me. I love you, Abe. I _reall_ y do."

Abraham took a moment just to look at her and all he saw was his best friend looking right back at him. He never wanted to lose her. In an instant he realized what he needed to do.

"Marry me?"

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the long wait, I've been going through some things.**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until Next Time...**_


	19. Chapter 18: The One Where Abraham Leads

_**So sorry for the waiting. Thank you to everyone who is still following this story! It is very much appreciated. I'm going to get better at this I SWEAR!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy this chapter as a very important character is introduced! It has definitively been long awaited! Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The One Where Abraham Leads**

"Marry me?"

Rosita's body was frozen in the warm summer afternoon.

The pounding of her heart against her rib cage made it hard to hear her own thoughts - not that she actually had any, her mind had gone completely blank once the question he asked her left his lips.

A few _long_ seconds had passed since _the_ question was asked and Rosita tried to figure out where to look as she avoided looking at Abe. Rosita couldn't even process the question let alone what she wanted to respond with. She was not expecting this from him but then again, no one _ever_ called Abraham Ford predictable.

Simply to say, Rosita was in shock which caused her to forget that Abe was standing just a few feet in front of her waiting for an answer.

"Look," He spoke after noticing her hesitation. "I know this isn't what you expected of me - not even what I expected from myself." He mustered a laugh through a huff. He was a little nervous now but his heart took control as he spoke. "You don't have to answer right now. Jus' that…you should know that I've never been so sure about something before. But I mean all of it, Rosita, I only want this with _you_. Will you let me have the greatest honor of marrying you?"

She rarely saw this side of Abraham but every time she did it unfailingly made her weak in the knees.

Looking back into his piercing blue eyes after tracing the crevices of the dark wooden porch, Rosita could feel just how sure he was in one look. She could feel that all he wanted was _her_.

Finally understanding that, her breath caught and her heart stopped completely.

She could also notice his confidence fading with every second she remained silent. That made her smile.

She stepped out of the door frame of her cabin and didn't stop until her head was buried in his chest.

Abraham instinctively wrapped both arms around her til his hands came together at the small of her back holding her tightly to him.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and let the sounds of the natural outdoors around them calm his nerves before realizing that he was unsure of what her hugging him meant. He pulled away gently. "...means you say yes?"

Rosita looked up with a smile and some fallen tears. "Course it means yes!" She assured before feeling his lips come down and lock with hers.

She slid her hands up along his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the porch and held her in his arms - neither one breaking their impassioned kiss.

Abraham moved his lips down to her chin and neck leaving a trail of kisses before he set her back on the porch. "Should probably go so I can get back 'fore if gets too dark." It pained him to break _their_ moment.

"Go where?" She put her hand in his to stop him from walking off the porch.

"Gotta get my _fiance_ the ring she deserves." In an affectionate manner he pulled her toward him and kissed her once more before slipping out of her loose grip.

Rosita just smiled and watched as he walked off. He made her happy and being happy for the rest of her life with _him_ sounded great.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Married?... The both of you?" Daryl finally broke the silence that fell over the girls' cabin as his team processed what they were being told by both Abraham and Rosita. He couldn't blame the others for being so in shock. Earlier that day Rosita looked like she wanted to kill Abraham and now they were engaged. _That must have been one hell of an apology_ Daryl thought.

"That's the plan." Abraham said with a nod and gently squeezed Rosita's hand that he had been holding. He'd like to think it was to comfort her but he secretly needed the reassurance. For some reason he was more nervous telling the kids about the engagement than when he proposed to Rosita just a few hours ago.

Rosita rubbed her thumb over the back of Abraham's hand as she traced the profile of his face with her eyes. "I know this came out of nowhere, but we are two adults who know what we want - and what we want is to spend our lives with each other."

Lori sat on her bed with Shane and Kelly beside her. The three had shared a look of confusion at first but then a smile, the same as Kelly's, swept over the face of both girls. Shane only became more confused when he noticed the two smiling so he looked over to where Tara was standing and was relieved to know he wasn't the only one still puzzled.

"Wow, you really didn't waste time." Glenn nodded with acceptance.

That calmed some nerves Abraham had and he felt a little more comfortable. He smiled and brushed his shoulder against Rosita's. "You just know when it's the one."

In an effort to not giggle like her six year old sister would have at the sweet affection, Maggie chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the nearest person to her, which was Rick. The boy was nodding but at what? She had no idea. It was becoming silent again so she lightly kicked Rick and when he raised a brow to her she nudged her head in the direction of their leaders.

Rick clear his throat. "Guess we're jus' a little taken aback. But in a good way" He assured as he chuckled.

A wave of contentment fell upon Michonne as she stood beside Carol. "This is way better than what I was hoping for. I am so happy for you two!" She said with a smile then made her way to the two camp leaders as they welcomed her in a hug.

"I am too!" Carol chuckled and joined the hug in between Abraham and Michonne.

"Hey, me three!" Kelly jumped up and wrapped one arm around Michonne and the other around Rosita.

"Me four!" Lori ran and squeezed herself into what was turning into a group hug.

Glenn and Shane both stood at the same time and walked over to the clump of people and encased their arms around someone closest to them.

Tara was off in her mind thinking of a nice - not at all sarcastic - way to congratulate them and when she finally found something good to say she found most of her team hugging in the middle of the cabin. "When did this happen?" She questioned Rick who just laughed as he walked over to her and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, leading them both to their group's tight embrace.

Maggie stood up from the bed and walked to the older boy standing at the far side of the room. She held her hand out to him but he just looked at it and shook his head. Maggie lifted a brow. "C'mon Daryl, it's not complete if you ain't with us." She pleaded.

Daryl looked passed the girl and saw the rest of the team giggling and embracing one another. A piece of him wanted to be with them but he was scared since he knew that camp was soon to end. When he looked back at Maggie at that moment he was more scared to hurt her feelings by shaking his head again. Daryl reached out and put his hand in hers and together they walked to their team where they were quickly pulled in by the others. The warm welcome reminded him that these people were going to be there for him long after summer ended.

"So… are we like, the first to know?" Tara asked when the group finally pulled apart.

Rosita's eyes widened as she caught Abraham's eye. She was shocked that she hadn't even thought to call her mom or dad yet - or one of her sisters - or one of her many cousins. Instead her first thought was to tell her team. "Yeah. Yeah you are." She laughed. Her whole life she imagined telling her mother first but the kids in front of her must have meant more to her than she'd realized.

"My god." Abraham breathed. "I've gotta tell Boss the news!" He turned to Rosita and silently pleaded for her to let him go.

"Go ahead." She rolled her eyes at how the grown man rushed out the door. She never understood the relationship between Mr. Phil and Abraham. It was as if the two grown men had a crush on one another. Well they did have a bromance of sorts… a weird bromance.

"Guess I should call up my family." Rosita told the kids as she went to grab her phone before quickly turning back to her team with a pointed finger. "If my sisters ask, they were the first to know but if my abuela asks, she was the first to know."

"Understood." Maggie giggled.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

Two days passed since Rosita and Abraham had gotten engaged. It was Monday now and the start of their last week at camp. Slowly, each one of the Walking Dead team members showed up to the round table that was in the middle of the cafeteria.

Carol was the last to join the table and was shocked to actually see Glenn was there before her. Well, she was more shocked to see Glenn there at all. "Nobody ever bothers to wake me up." She said as she took a seat in between Daryl and Rick while eyeing her cabin mates.

"You look so peaceful when you're sleeping, I don't have the heart to interrupt that." Lori explained.

Tara snorted. "No, a bomb could sound off and Carol still wouldn't wake up from it - let alone the alarm clock we practically tape to her ear every night."

Carol shook her head. "Well, I'm not apologizing for the love I have for sleep."

Daryl made a mental note of that. He found interest in learning the small things about Carol, it made him feel closer to her in the slightest of ways. It made her human to him. He personally was a light sleeper, then again he was probably the only teenager who would wake up to the sound of raindrops on a window - even in his deepest of sleep. Maybe that was why he hated mornings so much - especially here at camp. The sound of his cabin mates waking up never allowed him to sleep in even if he were dead tired.

Daryl snapped out of his thoughts and debated on whether or not he should give Carol a kiss on the cheek but she had been sitting there for about a minute already, would it seem weird and out of nowhere to kiss her now? He looked up as his eyes fell immediately on Kelly whose eyes were already on his. "What?" He quietly questioned his teammate.

Kelly gave him a knowing look before smirking. It was like she was in his head reading his every thought.

"Nothin'." The girl shrugged before popping a small slice of watermelon in her mouth.

She definitely knew how to get under his skin. Daryl eyed the girl for a moment and as if he were proving something to her, he turned to Carol and quickly kissed the side of her smooth, warm face.

"You look real nice today." He hadn't realized it until it was said from his own mouth. Daryl felt his face heat up. There was something about voicing what your mind was thinking that made him feel vulnerable - and it didn't help that the rest of his table heard him.

Carol could feel her cheeks turn red. She thoughtlessly smiled and turned slightly to look in his eyes. "Thank you." She whispered back.

Shane smiled at that. He found it amusing at how both Carol and Daryl shifted uncomfortably for a moment. He thought of making a friendly joke but according to Maggie his jokes weren't 'friendly' at all. He also figured it was hard enough for Daryl to find the nerves to compliment her let alone to say it in front of the whole team. "So how's breakfast?"

"It's really good." Glenn stated before half of his team looked at him with widened eyes. Glenn looked back at them with confusion. "Did I say something wrong? The food is great..." He restated wondering if he hadn't emphasized on it as much as they'd like.

"Don't listen to him Shane, the food isn't as good as it was when you were helping cook." Michonne rushed in to say.

"Definitely nowhere near as good." Lori threw in with a shake of her head and a disgusted look at the yellow runny blobs that Mary called scrambled eggs.

"Yeah, what does Glenn know anyway? He's barely here for meals." Even Tara made sure Shane felt good about how his food made a difference, it was probably because she saw first hand how much work and pride he took in preparing the meals.

Little Beth studied her plate and all the food that was still on it before nodding. "I sure like yer cookin' better Mr. Shane. Look, I barely touched my plate!" She pouted.

Rick chuckled at that. He knew how good his best friend must be feeling with all this praise. "I have to say that I agree. Even the orange juice was better."

Shane nodded. "I had the same thoughts." He shook his head and took a weary glance over to where the kitchen was at the back of the cafeteria. "Poor Mary, she's probably wanderin' 'round helpless n' lost without me."

Kelly fought back a laugh. "Maybe you should go check on things." She patted his shoulder.

He nodded. "Alright, but I'll be right back." He assured them before standing in a hurry and rushing to the kitchen.

Michonne was the first to let out a giggle. "I worry for that boy." She shook her head.

"Least I'm not the only one anymore." Rick agreed, sharing a smile with his girlfriend.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

It was noon when every group in camp met in front of an outdoor stage. They were all loudly talking amongst one another that they hadn't noticed both camp directors walked on stage until Mr. Phil spoke into a microphone.

"Attention campers and camp advisors!" He spoke loudly through the mic and waited the few short seconds it took for everyone to quiet down. "It is now the last week of camp and as it comes to an end we'd like for every team to participate in this camp-wide game where your team is competing against _every_ team in camp."

Maggie's heart sunk. "We have to participate?" She looked to Abraham for assurance.

"You'll be fine." The young adult gave a pat to her back. The girl's shoulders slumped. Next to her Tara snorted. Maggie looked over and frowned and Tara simply raised a brow in response as if to say " _Did you really think that_ Abraham _of all people was going to say we could skip out on the last_ _of the games?"_ Maggie simply sighed and focused back on Mr. Phil.

The director continued. "Of course there will be two different leagues for this game because of the vast age groups. The younger campers consisting of kinders to third graders will be in one league while fourth graders to juniors will be in another, know which league you are in and know who you are competing with."

Tara didn't like the sound of playing with elementary kids. "Enough small talk! What's the game?!" She shouted from the crowd as all of campers shifted to get a look at the girl as Abraham covered his face with one hand. Though he secretly approved of her enthusiasm for the game.

Phil and Deanna shared a look before the older man turned back to the microphone. "Miss Chambler I hadn't heard from you in awhile! I began to believe you found a way to escape from camp." Tara began to raise her hand but before she could lift one particular finger in the air Rosita slapped her arm down.

Deanna moved to speak through the shared mic. "This game is going to stress the importance of teamwork, problem solving, perseverance, and dedication. It will also build skills that are vital to know when you're camping outdoors such as how to build a tent, keeping your food out of reach from bears, and how to look for fresh water. . . most importantly, you will learn how to live in the outdoors by indeed living and sleeping outdoors with your team for the next three days." As the two directors had expected, the crowd exploded in questions, comments, and concerns.

A squeal of dread was heard from the back of Lori's throat. "We're all going to die!" She cried as Maggie pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I know it is a bit to process." Mr. Phil's voice, again, silenced the crowd. "I hate to overload you all with this news, but the camping outdoors part isn't the full game. There is more…"

"Go to summer camp they said, it will be fun they said." Michonne whispered to Kelly, who chuckled.

"I know… I should have left when my dads gave me the chance two weeks ago." Kelly sighed.

"As I stated before, this game is camp-wide. A camp-wide _Scavenger Hunt._ Over the next three days there will be a full list of items your team is required to collect in order to win the game. The items are not put in any particular order and you will not receive the full list all at once. It will be given to you in different parts. Each item on the list will have a riddle that reveals where it is hidden. Solve the riddle find the item, it's that simple." Mr. Phil explained. "Whichever team finds the most items by the end of the third day will be the ultimate winners. If a tie occurs there will be a battle between those two teams to decide the winner." Phil finished.

"Once in your groups your leaders will announce the next set of instructions. The game will officially start at one-thirty this afternoon which gives all teams two hours to find their base camp, set up tents and grab a _few_ extra clothes from your cabins. When your two hours are up the camp's bell will be rung in which your leaders are then allowed to give you part one of the scavenger's list." Deanna informed. "This will be a challenge for most but I wish you _all_ the best of luck."

After the two camp directors made their way off stage and each team received two large duffle bags that carried food supplies, first aid kits and blankets, as well as four sets of tents that the campers would need to assemble, all groups took off in different directions.

Daryl turned to look at his team with a smile on his face and was confused to see them all looking petrified. Only then did he realize that none of them grew up practically living in the woods as he had. His team seemed lost and so nervous they looked sick. Something warm moved in his chest when he told himself that he would keep them safe, he did know all that could be known about surviving in the woods after all. It was now that his friends would be thrown into his world the way he had been thrown into theirs at the start of camp.

"We should get moving so we can find a good spot to camp out." Abraham told his kids.

"How do we know what's a good spot?" Rick questioned.

"Follow me." Daryl said over his shoulder with a nudge of his head in the direction of the woods in which he lead the way.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

"Say we should set up here." Daryl stated as he looked at the small clearing that trees surrounded. "Got more than enough space." He shrugged then turned to face his group.

"If you say so." Kelly nodded. She didn't doubt her best friend one bit. "The only thing that I'm wondering is how long did the both of you know about this?" Kelly focused her attention on the two leaders.

Rosita cringed. "Well you see… the thing is… because the final game is such a big deal and needs a lot of time to prepare the camp leaders have known since before the first day of camp."

Carol's eyes widened. "Yet we received no warning?!"

"We weren't at liberty to say!" Abraham said, on the defensive. "Trust me I've been dying to let you guys know."

"I'm more worried about how we're supposed to find anything on the scavenger list?! I for one have not memorized anything at this stinkin' camp!" Tara huffed.

"Neither have I." Carol breathed before biting down on her lip.

"Shit." Daryl huffed. How could he have not mapped this place out by now? When he looked over to Carol he realized he had spent most of his time focused on her and not the trails and landmarks of the camp grounds.

"What are we gonna do?" Lori chewed on her thumbnail as she became more nervous.

Glenn turned to Shane who was already facing him with a smile plastered across his face. "What?" Glenn questioned the taller boy.

"There is somethin' you know about the game, isn't there?" He said in a hushed tone while the rest of the team voiced their concerns to each other.

"Why would you assume that?" Glenn lifted a brow.

"'Cause when the game got announced you didn't seem shocked - n' you don't seem concerned with anything… s'almost like you've known 'bout this for some time now." Somehow Shane's smile grew even more. "What is it man?" He nudged his friend before gasping. "My God… Glenn, did you steal all the items we're supposed to find?!"

"No!" Glenn said in a voice that just barely counted as a whisper. "That would be cheating and our team is going to win this fair and square."

"Then tell me!" Shane said excitedly.

"Why should you be the first to know?" Glenn folded his arms across his chest.

"Fine." Shane looked from the boy to his other team mates and before Glenn could protest Shane announced, "Everybody gather 'round! Glenn's been keepin' a secret and he wants to finally tell us."

They all quickly gathered around Glenn who continued to shake his head at Shane.

"Well? What is it?" Maggie questioned with haste, her nerves getting the best of her.

"Okay, okay." Glenn sighed. "There is something I have been keeping from you all, for a while actually."

"I knew it!" Tara pointed a finger at the boy.

Glenn rolled his eyes. "It's not as big as it seems, really." He promised. "It was the first day of camp, my mom was dropping me off as my sisters practically pushed me out the car while it was still moving. I was lost so _obviously_ I searched around for where I was supposed to go - but I got distracted. I saw a turtle an-"

"You saw a turtle?" Lori interrupted. "Aren't those supposed to be in the ocean or something?" Michonne shared a look with Daryl, both wanting to burst out with laughter.

"Anyways, I saw one go behind some bushes, so naturally I followed it." Glenn started back in. "While I was crouched behind the foliage I heard a few people come walking by, I assumed they were camp leaders because they were talking about the final game. I remained hidden because… well, I didn't want them to think I was doing something that I shouldn't be." He explained. "All I over heard was that the campers would need to know the camp grounds like they know the back of their hands." Glenn slipped off his backpack before opening it and pulling out something that looked a little wrinkly and it was all folded. "Over the past weeks I've been doing my own research and I came up with this." He lifted the folded up paper but didn't reveal exactly what it was. "As I dug deeper into _researching_ I came to a lot of challenges." Glenn almost looked sick. "I'm not proud of the things I've done…" He swallowed hard.

"Like what?" Carol was scared to ask but she was so intrigued by her friend's impressive skill to keep all of this from them.

"It was the first time sneaking into the kitchen through the back door. I had finally got in but then I heard Mary coming so I ran back out and jumped into the dumpster for protection… right before she threw out some spoiled eggs." He tried hard to not remember that moment.

Abraham gave the kid a look of sympathy before a question popped in his head. "So what's that?" He nodded to the paper that the boy was holding.

Glenn was thankful for the quick transition. "A map that I put together." He started unfolding it. "It's not a normal map either. I've added trails that aren't on the official map of the camp. It has shortcuts to landmarks, like if you want to go to the lake."

"There's more than one way to the lake?" Kelly questioned.

"Yes! Just like there is when you're going to the cafeteria or the yoga room-"

"We have a yoga room?" Michonne asked with clear shock.

" _Yes_." Glenn shook his head. "What would you guys do without me?"

"Crash and burn." Abraham said. The man was practically glowing with pride. Glenn might have just become his star player instead of Daryl.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool Glenn." Rick nodded.

That boy waved a hand out in front of him. "It was nothing."

The group began to set up camp with the time they had. After about thirty minutes Daryl had gotten one tent up as Shane and Carol fought over which step they should do first to begin theirs. Lori helped Rick tie up the food supplies in a tree with Abraham's help and Kelly and Maggie went with Rosita to search for logs and kindling to make a fire, while Michonne and Glenn went back to the cabins to get some extra clothes for everyone all while Tara claimed she was, 'supervising'.

Later they all met back up to see it they were missing anything.

"I think we go it all." Daryl told them.

"Hey team!"

A woman's voice pulled everyone's attention to her. It was Sasha along with Tyreese and trailing close behind them all clumped together were the kinders and firsties.

"Hey!" Rosita smiled to the two.

"We hate to be a bother, but Deanna wanted us to set up camp with an older team to help us with the kids and we thought of you all." Tyreese explained.

"No bother at all!" Maggie assured them. No way was she letting her little sister sleep in the dangerous woods without her near.

"This should be fun." Shane said to Daryl, who smirked and shook his head.

"Naw, we got four more tents to build." He stated before sighing. It would be quicker if he put the tents up by himself but Rosita had nixed that saying that everyone had to do their fair share of the work to set up camp.

Again everyone worked to set up the little one's supplies and tents - even Tara. Afterward both teams split up to start their separate games.

When they received the clue for the first item on the scavenger hunt it was written in a code that was hard to crack. It was turning into night and they still hadn't been able to figure it out so they headed back to their camp ground before it got too dark to see.

 _ **Summer...Summer...Summer**_

The sun had set and the moon was high over the mountains. The teams were seated around the campfire that took both Shane and Rick to light and maintain - not that it would have taken either of them very long to start the fire, it was something the two had learned while they were in Boy Scouts after all. It was just that they were fighting over the lighter. Tara was a little disappointed when they decided to stop fighting and light it together.

The older girls helped the little ones put marshmallows on sticks and taught them how close the marshmallows should be from the fire so they could be nice and creamy on the inside while the older boys were already on their second and third s'mores.

Little Beth softly sang a song that Maggie hummed along to though she'd sing a few lines here and there every time Beth forgot the lyrics. When she finished singing everyone clapped and complimented the six year old.

"Why don't the marshmallows just burn into flames or explode?" Lizzie asked Tara in an unsettling way.

"Hmmm, I don't know, but I like watching it slowly melt anyway." Tara shrugged. The little girl seemed content with that answer as she nodded.

"See now look at that!" Abraham walked over to the camp fire. "This isn't that bad." He rested his hands on his hips.

"Sure, because being attacked by blood sucking insects is so much fun." Carol mustered up a fake smile.

"Oh! That reminds me, I've got some bug spray!" Sasha announced as she ran over to her tent to grab it.

"Careful guys, she goes crazy with that thing." Tyreese warned. "Next you'll know all the bugs in the woods will be dead."

"Good." Lori huffed as she rubbed her arms with her hands when she felt the cold hit her.

Rosita took immediate notice to Lori's shivers. "Looks like we're going to need more blankets. I'm gonna make a quick run to the supply closet and grab a few more before they're all out. I'll be back!" She said to the two leaders who stood by the kids as she walked through the trees and out of sight.

"Ty! I left the spray back at the cabins and I don't want anyone getting bitten up tonight, come with me to get them?" Sasha asked her older brother pleadingly.

Tyreese looked at Abraham wearily, "You alright with watching twenty kids?"

"I'll have you know half of us are fully capable of watching ourselves." Glenn informed.

"I'll manage." Abe reassured.

Tyreese put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, but if one goes missing this time, it's all on _you_." The big man half heartedly joked. "We'll be back."

Abraham watched the two siblings walk away before focusing back to the kids. "Alright! How are the s'mores comin' along?" He questioned rubbing his hands together while taking a seat on a log right beside Kelly.

Kelly lifted a marshmallow from the fire and slid it between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. "Here, try it." She handed her leader the dessert.

Abe took a bite and looked at the young girl sitting at his side with wide eyes. "This is amazin' Kelly!"

The girl smiled with a look of satisfaction. "I know right!"

Michonne laughed, "Guess who taught her how to make them that good." The teen pointed at herself.

"Nothing wrong with a little help!" Kelly stuck out her tongue.

"I want help!" Andre cried. "Michie can you help me please?!"

Michonne smiled. "Of course I can."

"No, Michie, can you help me?!" Zach whined getting jealous that Andre was getting all the attention.

"How about I help you both?" The boys both froze, turned to look at one another then simultaneously turned back to her and nodded with smiles. Michonne chuckled and moved from her spot next to Rick and sat in between the two kinders.

Shane leaned into his best friend. "How's it feel with your girl's attention on other guys?"

Rick furrowed a brow. "They're both five."

"Hey, age is just a number." Shane stated before adding, "Zach's a smooth talker already. I'd keep my eye on him." He forewarned.

Rick gave his friend one last questioning look before shoving him away.

Lori held both hands out near the fire to warm up and smiled when Judith copied her. "It's nice and warm, huh?"

"Yeah!" Little Judith nodded as her ponytail bobbed around. "Carl you could try it too!" The little girl looked over her shoulder to where her brother was seated next to her before she gasped. "Carl?!"

Lori looked over and gasped as well when the little boy was not in his spot. "Carl?!" She called out, her eyes scanning the whole area.

"Shit." Abe murmured as he stood from his seat frantically looking around as well.

Everyone began to scan their camp grounds with their eyes, even the little ones stopped roasting marshmallows to join in on the search.

Lori stood up to get a better view, as well, just when she spotted him. "Over there!" She pointed but before she could move Rick shot up and went to grab the boy.

"And where do you think you were going?!" Lori had questioned the boy as soon as Rick brought him back and seated him on a log before Abraham got the chance to scold the child.

The boy just shrugged.

This was why Abraham didn't lead little kids in this camp. "It's dangerous going on out there alone." He managed to say in a soothing way. "Lots of scary things. S' why we stick together like wet on water." He stated looking around at all the kids making sure they _all_ understood.

"What scary things are out there Mr. Ford?" Little Sam asked from his spot between Carol and Sophia. He seemed very intrigued about learning more.

Abraham's face lit up as an idea sparked in his mind. There was nothing better than telling an old legend around a campfire. "Well - naw, nevermind. It might spook sum of ya…and Rosita would get mad if I said anything." The man waved a hand in the air - although mad was an understatement. Rosita would kill him if he told this tale again and with the kinders and firsties there, she'd probably bring him back to life and kill him again.

"Tell us, tell us, tell us!" Half the kids chanted, most of them being the little ones.

"Yeah right." Tara huffed a laugh.

"Oh, ya ain't think so?" Abe smiled when the girl shook her head challengingly. Then again, he figured he had enough time before Rosita and the other two got back to tell them of the camp legend. "A'ight, everyone squeeze in tight to one another an' let me tell you something that will jus' knock yer socks off." He alerted.

Little Sophia wrapped both her arms tightly around Daryl, who was caught off guard by the little one's actions. He looked down at her and when she nuzzled her head into his rib cage he slowly looked back up and locked eyes with Carol. She smiled and bit down on her lip to hold any laughter that was threatening to escape.

"A long time ago when the camp first opened, a group of campers snuck out of their cabins in the middle of the night…" The red haired leader began with a deep and slow rumble in his voice. "The only thing the teens took with 'em were _three_ flashlights. They traveled into the woods in search for something."

"What were they looking for Mr. Ford?" Carl asked getting excited.

"Lookin' for an old folklore creature." The man answered, his voice mysterious as ever.

"What was the creature like?" Little Lizzie asked with a fascinated smile, Mika just shook her head from beside her sister.

"He stood a great eight feet in height with a thin tree-like figure with _no_ face. There were also tentacles that came out of his back as you neared him - though they say he was hard to catch sight of since he faded in with his surroundings… especially if you were looking for him- _in the woods_." His voice resonated in the heavy air sending a shiver up everyone's spine - except Daryl, who continued to roast himself some marshmallows.

"These kids were up to no good that night." Abe shook his head dramatically. "They were calling this creature out… by his name."

"Wh-what was it's name, M-Mr. Ford?" Beth hadn't meant to ask but the words were out before she could stop herself.

"They call him, _Slenderman_." Again his voice shook the kids. "A beast with no mercy. Those who see him… well… let's jus' say they don't live to tell the tale."

Rick sat forward with a raised brow. "What happened to the campers?"

"That night the group of kids continued to taunt the brute, that's when the temperature dropped drastically. Their flashlights weaved in and out of power. Trees rustled and the ground quaked. All of 'em tried running from him but they'd been so deep in the woods that every direction looked the same. They'd forgotten which way they came. Their _screams_ couldn't be heard either." The man let the last line sink in for a moment before solemnly adding, "The next morning a search team was sent in search for the kids… _three_ flashlights were the _only_ things found."

Maggie's eyes were the size of saucers. She grabbed Beth, plopped the little girl on her lap as she felt Glenn scoot closer to her and wrap an arm around her waist.

Lori, who was still freezing, had long since grabbed both Carl and Judith and held them close to her while her head rested in between theirs.

Kelly had her hands over her ears but the man's loud deep voice overpowered her barrier.

Michonne stared at the fire as she tried to block her leader's voice. She would cover her ears like Kelly was doing but from the looks of it, it didn't seem to be working for her friend. She really wished that she didn't move from her seat next to Rick.

Shane and Rick seemed to question the story but every little sound that rustled in the trees caused both boys to inspect the surrounding areas.

"N' like I've said, he's never been caught and no one who has seen him, is found." The man finished as all the kids looked at him with horror in their eyes.

Tara didn't realize how tight she was holding Lizzie until the small girl was gasping for air. She immediately loosened her grip. "Tha-that didn't really happen…" she laughed. "Di-did it?" She tried to keep a poker face but failed.

Abraham raised his hands. "They say-" The sound of small twigs snapping and leaves crunching silenced the grown man.

They all fell silent as each of them listened to the sound. It became even louder and more frequent. Abraham and the older kids slowly stood all making sure they had a hold on one of the little ones.

All eyes were locked in the direction the sound was coming from.

"It's him, isn't it?" Kelly's whisper quivered against her will.

"Don't be silly." Abraham's voice didn't make anyone feel safe, in fact it made them fear for the worst. His muscles tensed as he stood completely still, remaining focused on the sound - his own heart racing.

No one moved. No one breathed. The little ones dug their heads deep into the sides of the older ones, none of them daring to take a peak.

Abraham reached for his flash light, his hand shaking as he fumbled to turn it on. Gaining some control he flipped the switch and blasted the light where the sound was coming from. A disfigured shadow appeared seconds before something popped out from behind a tree.

Everyone screamed at the top of their lungs.

Abraham dropped the flashlight and grabbed Kelly, lifting her out in front of him like a human shield as he shouted, "Son of a dick!"

"PUT ME DOWN!" Kelly cried trying to be freed.

"WHY IS EVERYONE SCREAMING?!"

When those words were shouted by a familiar voice everyone stopped.

"Ro-Rosita?!" Shane stammered through his heavy breathing.

All the little ones were whimpering. Abraham quickly set the girl down as Kelly spun around and gave him dangerous glare before sprinting over to her other leader.

"What is wrong with you all?!" Rosita questioned as she picked up the blankets she dropped after being scared half-to-death only to drop them again as Kelly crashed into her and was quickly engulfed in a breathtaking hug.

"Mr. Ford told us a scary story!" Mika shouted, slowly letting go of Shane's leg that she had been glued to moments before. "I don't wanna sleep out here no more." She pouted.

"Me neither!" Patrick shouted his defiance.

"Yeah! Me neither!" Andre shook his head frantically.

"Abraham Ford!" Rosita had a look in her eyes that was even more scary than the Slender Man legend. In that moment, Abe knew he was a dead man. "How could you tell them something like that?! Half of them are only SIX!"

"They asked to hear it!" He shouted his defense.

"No such thing as Slenderman." Daryl told them all as he set Sophia down after she had somehow climbed into his arms. He finished the rest of his s'more before sitting back down.

"You can't tell me you weren't scared a little bit." Shane tested his teammate.

"Wasn't" Daryl shrugged.

"He wasn't because there isn't anything to be scared of." Rosita said walking to the campfire with Kelly close to her side.

"We're going to be fine." Michonne told the little ones for reassurance. "The only thing scary was how fast Abraham was willing to sacrifice Kelly." Michonne shook her head in disapproval at her leader.

Abe rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeaah… sorry about that Kels…"

"You're not getting off tha-"

"Shush!" Rick shushed Kelly. "Listen, do you hear that?!"

Everyone quieted down. The sound of movement within the trees was much louder than what Rosita had made.

Rosita rolled her eyes at how everyone looked so petrified. "It's probably just Tyreese and Sasha." For a brief second everyone relaxed before a voice coming from behind them paralyzed everyone.

"We got the bug spray!" Sasha announced in the opposite direction in which the loud noise remained getting louder.

Tyreese noticed all of the frightful faces. "What… what's going on?" He whispered to his sister, who shrugged.

Rosita turned back to the direction she had come from. It sounded as if someone… or something was cutting a path straight to them. "What did you do Abe?!" She said backing closer to the group.

Daryl slowly stood. He didn't recognize the sound but he did know that it couldn't have belonged to any type of animal. Without wanting to concern them, Daryl slowly moved to stand in front of Carol and Sophia.

This time Abraham stood in front of everyone as Tyreese joined him.

In a blink of an eye a shadowed figure came from behind the foliage and stood before the group.

Everyone once again screamed.

"ENOUGH!"

With a muffled shout the person silenced the large group.

The fire was just bright enough to show the figure of a man. Tyreese reached for his flashlight and shined it at the person to get a better look.

In one hand the man carried a long wooden stick as he slipped off the hood of his jacket with his other and ripped off a black mask to reveal his face. _A face_.

Everyone then sighed in relief.

"Who the hell are you?" Abraham questioned. Rosita elbowed him hard in the stomach while muttering about language.

"Morgan Jones, the groundskeeper."

* * *

 ** _Way more to come from this eventful night!_** _ **And again I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**_

 _ **Review. Favorite. Follow.**_

 _ **...Until next time...**_


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